HARU*HANA MAGAZINE VOL 19 – BTS

JUNGKOOK

Q1: Real name.

Jeon Jungkook.

Q2: Hometown.

Busan.

Q3: Nickname and how do you want to be called by the Japanese fans.

Golden maknae. Also with the end of my name ‘Kkukie’.

Q4: An artist or song that has influenced you.

Supreme Team, G-DRAGON, Macklemore.

Q5: Your dream when you were young.

Badminton player. In the 1^st year of High School I listened to G-DRAGON-sunbaenim’s song and changed my dream to singer.

Q6: A word you like (motto).

(Searches it with his Smartphone with all his might) here it is! “Living without passion is like being dead”

Q7: If you were to represent/express BTS now with a color, what color would it be?

Hip hop is black and red!

Q8: What music have you recently been listening to?

Macklemore, Dynamic Duo.

Q9: Something you do every day without fail.

I’m not satisfied with my voice when I sing live, and I sing while I exercise my abs and run.

Q10: A happening that made you cry recently?

I sang badly one song and I cried in the practice room.

Q11: When you are in trouble/worried who do talk to?

Rap Monster. He’s the first one to notice when something happens to me and he gives me advice.

Q12: What do you want to do if you had a lover?

I want to go on a trip.

Q13: A member that seems like he’d have a girlfriend older than him and a member that seems like he’d have one younger than him.

Older → I think it could be me (laughs).

Younger → Suga

Q14: if you had to compare the members to non-humans, what would they be?

Rap Monster → Tibetan fox

Jin → wolf

Suga → turtle

J-HOPE → Deer

Jimin → Rhinoceros

V → Monkey

Q15: If you had the power of talking to non-humans, to what would you like to talk to?

To the animals that live on Earth.

V

Q1: Real name.

Kim Taehyung.

Q2: Hometown.

Daegu → Kojang → Daegu → Seoul

Q3: Nickname and how do you want to be called by the Japanese fans.

“Mongtae” (The word ‘mong’ that means that he’s daydreaming and ‘Tae’ from his name), TaeTae.

Q4: An artist or song that has influenced you.

Eric Benet and so.

Q5: Your dream when you were young.

Singer.

Q6: A word you like (motto).

I just came up with it but, “Let’s live coolly to the maximum”. Since the life happens only once, waking up at ease in the morning and then working doing your best.

Q7: If you were to represent/express BTS now with a color, what color would it be?

On the stage black, off the stage white. (Jin:  you want to imitate me right?)

Q8: What music have you recently been listening to?

Migel,The Weeknd.

Q9: Something you do every day without fail.

I watch one anime episode. I watch a lot of Japanese animes! Lately I’m watching Fairy Tail. Also, I write something on twitter or the fancafe everyday and I make the hyungs angry every day.

Q10: A happening that made you cry recently?

I cried when I signed the contract after embracing my parents. My parents live in Geoje island.

Q11: When you are in trouble/worried who do talk to?

Jimin and Jin. (Jin: eh, when did you consult me? –laughs-).Rather than consulting I ask advice from them. Since Jimin is the same age as me is easy to talk to.

Q12: What do you want to do if you had a lover?

Going to the super in autumn to buy Ebisen (a sweet made with starchand shrimp) and then going to the park to feed the pigeons with it.

Q13: A member that seems like he’d have a girlfriend older than him and a member that seems like he’d have one younger than him.

Older → Jimin

Younger → Suga

Q14: if you had to compare the members to non-humans, what would they be?

Rap monster → Soccer player

Jin → Prince

Suga → Baseball player’s 3^rd batter/hitter

J-HOPE → A deer

Jimin → Jeju’s Dol hareubang (stone statue)

Jungkook →A younger cousing

Q15: If you had the power of talking to non-humans, to what would you like to talk to? 

Cars.

JIMIN

Q1: Real name.

Park Jimin.

Q2: Hometown.

Busan. A genuine Busan man.

Q3: Nickname and how do you want to be called by the Japanese fans.

In Japan I want it to have a more ‘intimate/close’ feeling so “Jimin-chan” (laughs)

Q4: An artist or song that has influenced you.

Watching Rain-sunbaenim I aimed at being a singer. And when I was a trainee SOL (BIGBANG’s Taeyang) and Chris Brown influenced me.

Q5: Your dream when you were young.

I had lots of dreams, I even wanted to be a mechanized human from Galaxy Express 999.

Q6: A word you like (motto).

“Let’s become cool/handsome”. I want to become a cool person outside and inside.

Q7: If you were to represent/express BTS now with a color, what color would it be?

Gold.

Q8: What music have you recently been listening to?

Chris Brown.

Q9: Something you do every day without fail.

Practicing. I upload a photo onto twitter everyday to share it with the fans.

Q10: A happening that made you cry recently?

When I signed my contract with the company. After my parents left I talked with them on the phone and I cried in my room.

Q11: When you are in trouble/worried who do talk to?

I generally solve it myself. If I can’t, I talk with V.

Q12: What do you want to do if you had a lover?

I’m the type that does a lot and wants to give but first I want to hold hands!

Q13: A member that seems like he’d have a girlfriend older than him and a member that seems like he’d have one younger than him.

Older → Jin

Younger → V

Q14: if you had to compare the members to non-humans, what would they be?

Jungkook → a dog without collar

V → A pony that deviated from his reins

Rap Monster  → a lion that even if you catch it, it breaks everything and escapes again

Suga  → That lion’s trainer                        

Jin  → Grandma

J-HOPE  →The 2^nd grandma (laughs)

Q15: If you had the power of talking to non-humans, to what would you like to talk to?

Dogs and animals.

RAP MONSTER

RAP MONSTER  is this kind of person!

SUGA:  He’s really great

Jungkook: monster

Jin: The baby dinosaur Dolly. He shakes his tail an crushes things (laughs)

Jimin: In fact, he gets hurt easily.

Q1: Real name.

Kim Namjoon.

Q2: Hometown.

Seoul, Ilsan.

Q3: Nickname and how do you want to be called by the Japanese fans.

In Korea (taking into account how it’s read Rap Monster’s name in Korean) they call me “Rapmon” so in Japan I’m also Rapmon!

Q4: An artist or song that has influenced you.

EPIK HIGH, Eminem, Kanye West, NAS.

Q5: Your dream when you were young.

It’s not a special dream, until the 5^th year of primary school I dreamed about being a security guard.

Q6: A word you like (motto).

 “This is also going to past”, since it doesn’t matter if you’re having a bad time/period, it always pasts. Long time ago it was “If I want to do it, I can” but there also a lot of things that even if you want to do you can’t… (laughs).

Q7: If you were to represent/express BTS now with a color, what color would it be?

Gray. All the members are really nice kids but, in order to show a powerful image we need to wear black clothes so everyone wears gray. I don’t know how will this subtle color change but I think that next time we’ll be able to show our own colors.

Q8: What music have you recently been listening to?

Dynamic Duo.

Q9: Something you do every day without fail.

Write a diary and look back and organize it.

Q10: A happening that made you cry recently?

Since I decided not to cry on our debut showcase or on the first broadcasts, the day of the debut showcase, in the afternoon, the team members who I grew up and developed with were crying… so in the end I was lured and my tears fell so I panicked (laughs).

Q11: When you are in trouble/worried who do talk to?

Suga-hyung. We’ve been living together for 3 years so we’re close and there are also lots of times when he has helped me. When it comes to the younger ones it’s Jimin.

Q12: What do you want to do if you had a lover?

I want to make a song together and sing it.

Q13: A member that seems like he’d have a girlfriend older than him and a member that seems like he’d have one younger than him.

Jungkook really seems like the type that would say ‘noona~”.

SUGA fits to be one liking younger people.

Q14: if you had to compare the members to non-humans, what would they be?

Jimin → Geodude (pokemon).

V → an alien.

Jungkook → Chikorita (pokemon)

And the others… I don’tknow (laughs)!

Q15: If you had the power of talking to non-humans, to what would you like to talk to?

I want to ask what they think about the necessities I normally use. Clothes and brushes and so…

J-HOPE

J-HOPE is this kind of person!

SUGA: Hope

Jimin: he’s good at caring.

Jin: He’s like a young boy, he’s not cute (laughs)

V: Doraemon. He always finds the solution.

Q1: Real name.

Jung Hoseok.

Q2: Hometown.

Kwangju. Been 3 years since I moved to Seoul.

Q3: Nickname and how do you want to be called by the Japanese fans.

Putting ‘amazing’ before my name, I want to be called ‘amazing J-HOPE’ (in Japanese: sugoi J-HOPE)-laughs-

Q4: An artist or song that has influenced you.

In Korea Beenzino-sunbaenim.

Q5: Your dream when you were young.

Since I was young I wanted to be a singer.

Q6: A word you like (motto).

If you don’t work hard there won’t be good results.

Q7: If you were to represent/express BTS now with a color, what color would it be?

Red. Since we burn hot, the red of passion!

Q8: What music have you recently been listening to?

J.Cole’s Born Sinner, ASAP Rocky.

Q9: Something you do every day without fail.

Writing lyrics. If I’ve time I like visiting the official fancafe. I need to know what are the fans saying!

Q10: A happening that made you cry recently?

After the showcase when I saw all the members from the company crying.

Q11: When you are in trouble/worried who do talk to?

Rap Monster and Suga, whom I’ve known for 3 years and have been doing music together.

Q12: What do you want to do if you had a lover?

Since the type of girl I like is someone who is thoughtful, good at cooking, reads lots of books and only loves me I want to cool, talk and read books with her

Q13: A member that seems like he’d have a girlfriend older than him and a member that seems like he’d have one younger than him.

Older → Jungkook

Younger →Suga

Q14: if you had to compare the members to non-humans, what would they be?

Rap monster  → a rock

Jin → a princess

Suga → candy

Jimin → a muscled kid

V → an alien

Jungkook → a dog

Q15: If you had the power of talking to non-humans, to what would you like to talk to?

I want to talk with people’s heart and know the truth.

 SUGA

Q1: Real name.

Min Yoongi.

Q2: Hometown.

Daegu.

Q3: Nickname and how do you want to be called by the Japanese fans.

Suga.

Q4: An artist or song that has influenced you.

EPIK HIGH-sunbaenim’s FLY was the trigger of me starting rap, after that I was influenced by Kanye West, NAS and so.

Q5: Your dream when you were young.

Firefighter → basketball player → musician

Q6: A word you like (motto).

Let’s live having fun. Doing music as your hobby and doing it as work it different.

Q7: If you were to represent/express BTS now with a color, what color would it be?

Gold. Since gold can be worn in ring and necklaces, so everyone can combine it with his own color. Meaning that I want to become a group that can change freely.

Q8: What music have you recently been listening to?

To the all latest hiphop and rap.

Q9: Something you do every day without fail.

Writing songs. I write lyrics even when I’m in the waiting room or the car. If I don’t write I feel anxious.

Q10: A happening that made you cry recently?

Since I’m a crybaby I cry a lot (laughs).  When I went to the capital, when I couldn’t see my family my parents said they’d come to Seoul but I was busy so I was only able to talk to them for 3 minutes so I was sad and I cried.

Q11: When you are in trouble/worried who do talk to?

Rap Monster. Our ages are similar and we also have lots of things in common so we talk a lot about music  and life.

Q12: What do you want to do if you had a lover?

I want to make her listen to the songs I write.

Q13: A member that seems like he’d have a girlfriend older than him and a member that seems like he’d have one younger than him.

Older → Jungkook

Younger → Jin

Q14: if you had to compare the members to non-humans, what would they be?

Rap Monster → a monster

Jin → a wolf

J-HOPE → a cat

Jimin → a squirrel

V → a monkey

Jungkook → a dog

Q15: If you had the power of talking to non-humans, to what would you like to talk to?

Music. Even though when I was little I didn’t have any interest in it, from a certain moment I thought “I gotta do music!”. I want to ask it why it ended up like this (him doing music).

JIN

Jin is this kind of person!

Rap Monster: the mum.

J-HOPE: someone who doesn’t say that their self management it’s too perfect.

Jimin; Grandmother.

V:  Crayon Shinchan’s Nene

Q1: Real name.

Kim Seokjin

Q2: Hometown.

Anyang (10 years in Gwangcheon and 10 in Seoul)

Q3: Nickname and how do you want to be called by the Japanese fans.

Since I like the pink color and cooking, “Pink princess”. If in Japan they call me Jin-hime…. (laughs) .

Q4: An artist or song that has influenced you.

Try by Asher Book that was sang in a movie.

Q5: Your dream when you were young.

Like my father, while working at a company I want to have a normal and warm family.

Q6: A word you like (motto).

“Let’s live without worries”. You only have one life but, if you live too fast I feel like you can’t accomplish what you want to do…

Q7: If you were to represent/express BTS now with a color, what color would it be?

On the stage is black. When I get off is pink. Shabang sha~bang (Members: it’s the pink princess!  Reject!)

Q8: What music have you recently been listening to?

Brother Su.

Q9: Something you do every day without fail.

I wake up everyone in the morning. Jimin and J-HOPE wake up instantly and they always listen to what I say (V: me? / Jimin: even if you try to wake V 4 times he won’t)

Q10: A happening that made you cry recently?

After our first broadcast on M COUNTDOWN and when I signed the contract with the company and meet my mum.

Q11: When you are in trouble/worried who do talk to?

Rap Monster. But he’s the type of forgetting his worries after sleeping.

Q12: What do you want to do if you had a lover?

Going shopping, making bentos (lunch boxes) together, going out/on trips,  a day when there’s almost no clouds on the sky and there rays of light, a day with a gentle breeze maybe, I want to take a nap together (Members:  you’ve seen too many films)

Q13: A member that seems like he’d have a girlfriend older than him and a member that seems like he’d have one younger than him.

Older →Jungkook.

Younger→Rap Monster.

Q14: if you had to compare the members to non-humans, what would they be?

Rap Monster → Boxer

Suga → Working at a hamburger store

J-HOPE → A wooden figure standing on the entrance of a village from the region.

Jimin → a cute and round cloud

V → a young nobleman

Jungkook → someone from the countryside who would come saying “brother let’s play~”

Q15: If you had the power of talking to non-humans, to what would you like to talk to?

I don’t have any particular reasons but God.

Source/scans: bts_japan & bangbangtan0612
Trans cr; Iraide@ bts-trans
© TAKE OUT WITH FULL CREDIT

130722 BTS - CUVISM MAGAZINE

The idols who said “What’s your dream?", Bangtan. Their music is unique because they personally took part in composing and writing the lyrics to communicate with the public. Is their music more attractive because in contrast to their “boy scouts" image, it’s serious? It’s only been a little over a month since their debut but with their ambitious name meaning - “Block out the world’s bullets." - they have been receiving a great amount of love from the public. Let’s listen to the stories of the idols who want to try various types of music with hip-hop as a base.

The group whose music you can relate with, Bangtan.

Q) Hello. Please introduce yourselves.

Rap Monster: Hello. I’m Rap Monster. I’m 20 years old, and I’m the leader and also in charge of rapping.
V: Hello. I’m V. I’m 19 years old and I’m in charge of vocals.
Jimin: Hello. I’m Jimin. I’m 19 years old and I’m in charge of dancing and vocals.
Suga: Hello. I’m Suga. I’m 21 years old and I’m in charge of rapping.
J-Hope: Hello. I’m J-Hope. I’m 20 years old and I’m in charge of rapping, dancing, and singing.
Jungkook: Hello. I’m Jungkook. I’m in charge of rapping, dancing, and singing.
Jin: Hello. I’m Jin. I’m 22 years old. I’m in charge of vocals.

Q) I heard that your team’s name meant “to block out the world’s bullets" It’s unique; what do each of you think of the meaning? 

V: I first heard the name “Bangtan" two years ago and it was really awkward. I thought “What is this?" and also “It’s probably temporary. We’d change it when we debut, right?", but the more I heard it, the more I felt that it fit us the best.
Rap Monster: There were lots of suggestions but it was the best name. 

Q) What other names were suggested?

Suga: Big Kids and Young Nation. Right now, I like the name Bangtan the best and feel that it suits us well. 

 

Q) I’m curious about what each of your names means. 

V: My stage name was chosen last. Six, Lex, V. Those three names were suggested but the members and PD all said that V fit me the best and so I picked V to stand for victory.
Rap Monster: In 2011 I made a song by myself and at the very end of the song, there was a part when I had to yell out “Rap Monster!" I don’t know if that part was memorable or not but the company staff started calling me that and it eventually became my name.
Jimin: I use my real name. (laughs) I was originally going to use a stage name as well and there were quite a few suggestions. Names like Baby J and Kid were some options but I decided that Jimin was the best and ended up using my real name.
Suga: Because my skin is pale, I’m pretty when I smile, and because I’m sweet. (laughs) I chose this name because I want to promote sweetly.
J-Hope: My name has the deepest meaning out of all the others in this group. (laughs) You know how in Pandora’s Box after everything else left, the only thing remaining was hope, right? I put “hope" in my name to be a hopeful existence in the group. I got the “J" from my last name, Jung. That’s how I became J-Hope.
Jungkook: Because I’m from Busan, Seagull was suggested for me. But in the end, they said that Jungkook was the best for me so that’s how I ended up using my real name.
Jin: The PD-nim said that a one-character name is intense and so I chose to use the last character of my name - “Jin" 

 

Q) I’m curious about the steps each member took to join Bangtan. I heard that eldest Jin was a film arts student. You became a Bangtan member by being casted; what made you take that chance of becoming a singer? 

Jin: First of all, I like trying out different things. You can be an idol at a very young age. Also, you can have an acting career while being an idol, which is why I chose to become a singer. 

 

Q) Wasn’t it hard for a student majoring in acting to practice [to be an idol]? 

Jin: At first it was really hard but there were lots of kids who helped me and treated me really well. They helped me a lot and said things like “Try listening to this song.", “Try doing it this way." and so training became easier.
Suga: He’s a hyung who had a considerable amount of interest in hip-hop [before becoming a trainee], so it wasn’t that hard.

Q) I heard that leader Rap Monster promoted underground with the stage name Runch Randa. Also, you were part of the DaeNamHyup crew and have a mixtape where you collaborated with Block B’s Zico.

Rap Monster: In 2008, I was briefly a part of a different crew (not DaeNamHyup) with Zico hyung. We were kind of like the rising stars of the hip-hop community at the time. We were friendly with each other and at my suggestion, we produced a song together. As that song disappeared in the community I slowly forgot about it as well, so I’m wondering how it came back up. That song seems to be a hot topic amongst fans so I’m quite surprised. I thought it was really cool. (laughs) Because that means somebody had been keeping that song.

Q) I also heard that you were good at studying.

Rap Monster: Rapping was an escape from the stress I received from studying. I used to study extremely hard. Truthfully, this connects with the lyrics of “No More Dream" - when I was studying, I had no dreams. I had a possible path because I was good at studying, I didn’t specifically have something I wanted to do. So while promoting as Bangtan, I’m sending my past self a message.

 

Q) I heard that J-Hope was part of the street dance team NEURON.

J-Hope: While promoting underground with my street dance team, I did a lot of popping. In popping, there’s another sub-genre called Boogaloos and that was the one I did the most. I got a lot of prizes and performed a lot while promoting. Rap Monster rapped underground; I danced.

 

Q) The promotions you did back then must’ve helped you a lot with promoting in Bangtan. 

J-Hope: Yes. Of course, it helped a lot. We all came up with our own choreography for our dance breaks in “We Are Bulletproof Pt.2" I’m working hard in filling the gaps that the members have in dancing.
Rap Monster: When we were still trainees and were doing midnight practices, J-Hope became our teacher and taught us the basics of popping. He’s the one who’s strongest in dancing. (laughs)

Q) Jimin and V got accepted into Big Hit after auditioning; do you remember what your auditions were like?

Jimin: Of course. It was my first-ever audition so my hands were shaking a lot when I opened the door. I also remember that my voice shook a lot while singing. But because I started dancing at a young age, I danced very confidently.

 

Q) What song did you sing?

Rap Monster: This is a story I’m hearing for the first time.
Jimin: No, it’s not. I’ve told hyung before about this. (laughs) I sang “I Have a Lover" (laughs) I hadn’t ever learnt how to sing until then so I didn’t really know what to pick.
Rap Monster: So the song he chose was the #1 karaoke song for middle schoolers, “I Have a Lover" (laughs)

Q) V, what song did you sing?

V: I hadn’t gotten permission from my parents so I wasn’t planning on doing a private audition. I was only thinking about looking around the academy. I went to look around but ran into one of the rookie group development noonas. She told me to try auditioning, called my parents, got permission, and I auditioned. When I checked later, I was the only one from Daegu to pass the auditions. It was a sudden audition but I thought, “Yay. Let’s do it!" and wasn’t nervous at all. (laughs) 

 

Q) Jungkook, I heard that you got casted while auditioning for Superstar K3. 

Jungkook: In 7th grade, I had dreams of becoming a singer after listening to G-Dragon sunbaenim’s songs. Then in 8th grade, I got casted by Big Hit after leaving the Superstar K3 auditions and became a part of Bangtan.

 

Q) I guess you won’t be able to go on Superstar K anymore since you got casted.

Jungkook: I got eliminated anyways. (laughs) Even if I had passed, I think I would have chosen Big Hit.
All: Ooh~
Rap Monster: Yeah, you can’t really say anything. You’ve debuted now. (laughs) 

Q) In the title track “No More Dream", you gave the public awareness. As much as you’re hip-hop idols, please tell us your speciality as a group. 

Rap Monster: I think the fact that we actively took part in producing and writing lyrics is a really big speciality. Another speciality is that excluding me, everyone is extremely cute, young, and boyish. (laughs) But unlike our outer appearances, we have a very tough image and our message that we should resist society’s suppressions is unique. In both music and visuals, we’re quite dark. I think that these points appeal to females a lot. Another big point is hip-hop. I think we’re a team that puts a lot of emphasis on hip-hop.

Q) The lyrics for “No More Dream" are very interesting. It talks a lot about “dreams" - what type of music is Bangan aiming for? 

Suga: With hip-hop - as well as other genres - we’d like to produce music that people in their 10’s and 20’s can relate with.

Q) You guys write lyrics, too. Where do you get your inspiration from?

J-Hope: I think we get a lot from our daily lives. There are lots of things we could write about even here, and we get lots of inspiration while going to the practice room and while we’re eating. We tend to write about small things. We have a song called "좋아요" (Like) and it’s about someone checking their ex-girlfriend’s SNS account and pretending to be cool about pressing the like button. Like this song, we write lyrics about small things.
Suga: Depending on the situation, an object we’d normally dismiss carelessly could be a great source of inspiration. Sometimes we also get inspired by something random. "좋아요" and “No More Dream" were created when we thought, “What if we made lyrics out of this [topic]?" 

 

Q) The lyrics to 팔도강산 are in satoori. I’m guessing that the members from different provinces came up with that idea? 

Suga: In 2010, I was selected through a rap audition called “Hit It" There were plans to pick another Bangtan member through the same auditions in 2011. "팔도강산" was created to promote the auditions. Since it’s a nationwide audition, I used Gyeongsang-do satoori, J-Hope Jeolla-do satoori, and Rap Monster standard Korean. Lots of people seemed to like it. 

Q) I heard that all the members write lyrics and compose together. What type of music do each of you want to make?

Rap Monster: I want to have hip-hop as my base. I like the fact that hip-hop can flow with other types of music easily. So if I can have hip-hop as my base, I’m interested in trying out different types of music.
Suga: I want to make music that tells our stories. Music aimed for people in their 10’s and 20’s is disappearing these days. I believe that an idol’s role is to send out messages, so I want to make music that people can relate with. 

Q) Are there any role models or figures who influenced your dreams of becoming a singer?

Jin: Big Bang’s T.O.P sunbaenim. I think of him as a good model as both an idol and actor.
Jungkook: G-Dragon sunbaenim. From Western artists, I like Justin Bieber. His voice is so good. I find his tone attractive.
J-Hope: Beenzino sunbaenim, who is currently promoting underground. Western artist A$AP Rocky is my role model. I find him amazing because he influences not only my music but my fashion style as well.
Suga: I started music after listening to Stony Skunk’s “Ragga Muffin" and Epik High’s “Fly" These two artists’s music made me feel a lot of things during my teenage years. I also got a lot of influence from T.I and Kanye West. I really admire them.
Jimin: I really idolize Big Bang’s Taeyang sunbaenim and Chris Brown. Both their performances and vocals are amazing and I’d like to be like them.
Rap Monster: I received a lot of influence from NAS while rapping. 2 years ago I was greatly influenced by Kanye West. I think of Kanye West as an icon. Steve Jobs also was very important in fashion and as a realist. I want to become a person like Kanye West; someone who makes trends.
V: The Weeknd is my role model. He not only has an attractive voice but gives me a sense of groove and rhythm and is fresh. 

 

Q) What are your future goals and plans?

Rap Monster: We’ve said that we’re going to survive until the very end lots of times during interviews. If we get a rookie award, it’ll be a sign that we survived and made it out of all the groups that debuted this year, so we really hope to get that rookie award. Also, it’s an award you can only get as a rookie so it’s very important. Lots of rookies hope for the rookie award.
Suga: Ultimately, we want to produce music that satisfies everyone. 

 

The fresh seven boys of Bangtan and their lifestyle.

Q) What do you guys normally do?

All: We don’t do anything. (laughs)

Suga: In the morning we go to the broadcasting studio, perform, come back and practice, and produce all night. That’s all we do; it makes me want to make up things to have something else to tell you. (laughs)

Rap Monster: Everyone’s answer will be the same. (laughs) It’s probably because we’ve become greedy and try to do a lot of things. After we debuted, company staff told us “Just think that you died/suffered during the past two~three years. Then you’ll accomplish something.", so we’re trying to close our eyes and ears and only focus on practicing and work.

Suga: On days we have schedules at broadcasting studios, we usually practice two hours. When we have extra time, the members in charge of vocals have vocal lessons. Other times, we all gather together and think of song topics.

Q) I’ve been watching Bangtan’s SNS accounts; you guys seem to be active on them.

Rap Monster: We’re active on them because we want to communicate a lot with our fans. We don’t want to seem like idols that are hard to approach and want to be close with them. We want fans to listen to the music that we often listen to and know what we do in our everyday lives. That’s why we’ve been so active on it even before our debut and plan to continue being active. 

Suga: We upload photos of ourselves that don’t even make sense and occasionally of figures in our studio that are twisted into weird poses. I like equipment so sometimes I do reviews. I think that people would say “Who are these kids?" when they see our photos. (laughs) I upload previews of members and give off an un-idol like feeling. People seem to find that fascinating. That’s how much I want to communicate with fans.

 

Q) I heard that you spend 24 hours together at the dorm. Are there any fun or memorable episodes?

Jin: This happened recently. We all sleep at different times but according to the other members, I talk in my sleep a lot.
Suga: Hope-y and I were awake together but we were tired so we were about to sleep when Jin hyung started singing "좋아요" (Like). (laughs) I thought we must practice really hard [for him to even sing in his sleep]. Turns out, it was just him talking in his sleep. After that I thought, “Ah. That hyung practices even in his sleep. Of course."
Jin: I usually sleep really quietly but I think talking in my sleep is a new habit.
Rap Monster: I recently had a dream set in a hotel. I was sleeping but the door opened and someone chased after me with a knife. I opened the window and jumped out and woke up. I wondered how close we were sleeping to make me have such a dream. (laughs) Maybe I love the members too much? I sometimes think that when I have bloody dreams. Because they say that dreams are the opposite of what you think, right? (laughs)
Jin: We eat lots of fruit with our meals. Because of this, we have a lot of fruit flies. Each fly creates about 4-50 more flies so we can’t control them. We tried to spray something but couldn’t because of the dishes. In the end, Jungkook got rid of them with a vacuum cleaner.
Rap Monster: Wow. That’s skill. (laughs)
Jin: So because of that, a lot of them have disappeared. Only about 10 of the original 50 are left now. (laughs)
Jimin: After my midnight practice ended and I had come out of the shower, someone was using the vacuum cleaner. (laughs)
Jungkook: We don’t have any insecticide in our dorm and even if we did, we wouldn’t be able to spray it because of the dishes so I looked around, spotted the vacuum cleaner, and thought “Ah, this is it."…(laughs)

  

 Q) Do you all have something you’re in charge of in the dorm? 

Rap Monster: I’m in charge of breaking things. Everything I touch breaks, so this desk here could break right now also. (laughs) The glasses I wear sometimes break also. Because of that, my nickname is “God of Destruction"
Suga: I’m in charge of fixing the things that Rap Monster breaks. I change the lightbulbs, fix the toilet, or re-attach doorknobs…I do a lot of that kind of stuff. (laughs)
Jin: I’m in charge of the kitchen. When we come back from grocery shopping, the members just dump the stuff we bought anywhere and don’t put it in the fridge. So I put in all the food in the fridge and throw out old food. (laughs)
Suga: He’s a family man. He’s an ideal husband! (laughs)

 

Q) What are you guys most confident about?

Jin: I can eat a lot.
Jimin: Jin hyung doesn’t know what it feels like to be full.
Jin: There was one time when I went to a buffet with my family and ate for two and a half hours straight because I didn’t feel full. After I finished eating and tried to stand up, I couldn’t because I had eaten so much. That was the first time I felt that way. (laughs)
Suga: Jin hyung lost a lot of weight. He takes care of himself a lot and eats a lot of health products. So we don’t worry.
V: I can eat a tiny chocolate bar deliciously. I can express my feelings through sounds and facial expressions. I can eat it really deliciously.
Jimin: We’re all very good at eating. (laughs)

Q) What do you think of each other’s personalities? Who do you think is the strangest member? 

All: V!
Suga: Everyone says this but people with blood type AB are either a complete genius or a complete idiot. He’s both.
Rap Monster: In my opinion, he’s 10% genius and 90% idiot. (laughs)
Suga: Sometimes I think, “He thinks of things like that?" while other times I think, “Why would he think of that?"
Jimin: Sometimes he’s worse than the maknae. (laughs) It’s fascinating.
Suga: But sometimes he comes up with really good ideas and surprises us. 

 

Q) Please say something for Cuvism Magazine’s readers. 

Jimin: Please give Bangtan lots of love. Please watch over us a lot and cheer us on.
Suga: We’ll continue to produce good music so please keep an eye on us.
Rap Monster: I always say this, but I just want everyone to know that we do hip-hop. We will break all the prejudice towards idols and hope that there will be a day when people know that we really love hip-hop. We’ll work hard! 

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