My name is Seung Ho.
I was born on October 16, 1987. I am the leader of the group and also the eldest.
I have a brother four years younger than I am. And all my relatives are all guys too. Hence, I naturally grew up in an extremely military-like atmosphere where I was often the guy in charge. I think I've carried that personality into this group. The members who are younger than me don't mind it but I thank G.O. and Joon who listen to me despite being the same age as me.
The reason I was continuously picked as my class representative was probably because I was smart? Hahahaha. I'm kidding.
All members of my group have blood type A. But none of them show the characteristics of being the typical type A. If there really had been a narrow-minded person amongst us, I think one of us would be dead by now. But we all say what's on our minds if we get mad at each other, even if it is in an indirect way. Instead, I do think we all get hurt easily.
I graduated from Anyang High School of Art but my mom had initially been strongly against me attending the school. My grandfather, who was set to undergo a big surgery, said I should at least be allowed to take the entrance exam for it and I got in with his support. I'm very much alike my grandfather and he said it was also his dream to become a celebrity when he was young.
When G.O. first joined our agency, rumor spread that a very good-looking guy had joined. But I knew it the moment I saw him. The word 'mischievous' was written all over his face. Hahaha. I was waiting to see when he would cause trouble and he's been meeting up to my expectations so far. It's amazing to see the pranks he pulls off on the female trainees at our agency. Even if you don't know where it's coming from, if you hear a scream, that means G.O. is there. For sure. Hahaha.
The first, second and third most important points that Ji-hoon [Rain] stresses is cultivating a proper human nature. He is always telling us that we can only succeed by being well-mannered toward others.
And when he's encouraging us, he always does so by giving us the examples we can easily relate to. That even if we're having a hard time, we will be able to buy a house if we put on an extra smile while on stage and that we will be able to buy a car if we suck it up at an extra time.
I'm the type that will immediately put my thoughts into action. For example, I'll sign up for an academy and think later about whether I did the right thing. And I can't stand it when there's a gadget that I want. I'll dream about it. But I won't be swayed by the i-Phone boom because I already have an i-Pod touch and a Blackberry. I don't like it anyways because you can't change batteries for it. Hahaha. But I control my desires better now than I used to in the past since there are times I'll want to buy hats or t-shirts although they are desires I can stand having.
My name is G.O. My real name is Jung Byung-hee.
I was born on November 6, 1987. I'm the same age as Seung Ho.
I had actually been thinking of debuting as a solo. Being a singer is about developing your own capabilities so I wanted to become someone who shines with his own aura like Rain or Justin Timberlake. But I now really like the cool vibe we give off when all five of us walk together. I guess I could say I sort of have a new dream after becoming a member of MBLAQ.
Before joining this agency I did a lot of research and auditioned after finding out that they would be creating a boy band. I was looking forward to seeing what the group would be like if Rain's performance was divided five-way. And we make up for each other's shortcomings in many ways.
I still go around showing off to people about the things I've done with Rain. Even my parents still show off about the time they ate with him or when they went to Japan.
The celebrity I was most happy to meet was Hwang Jung-min. I ran into him at the hair salon and I said hi and gave him our CD. I really like his film "Secret Sunshine"... It's a very special movie for me which I cried while watching with a guy friend at the movie theater.
I'm personally happy because I sing more in "G.O.O.D Luv" I also made my voice sound coarse in "Oh Yeah" on purpose but it was better the clearer I made it sound with "Luv". I did have a hard time trying to put on a cute face with my moustache though. I wanted to shave it off but Rain said I should try and go with a single image during the first album so I've been trying to bear with it. I have wholehearted trust his taste.
Rain revealed a demonstration of the choreography for "Oh Yeah" He really didn't have to... We felt even more pressured when our fans posted up the video in sync with a video of us dancing to the song but it was also good stimulus. I was amazed at how our dance looked when he did it and I think Rain must've posted it on the web to show fans how good of a job we did. (Seung Ho: It's common law that group dances should not be done alone. But the fact he could look so cool alone!) Mir: We practiced the choreography day and night while he managed to look like that after a few goes at it. He'd kill it if on top of that, he had really practiced the moves.)
The nicest out of the members is Mir. He listens to us very well and never gets annoyed. Although we would not know what he might be saying behind our backs. I think I'd hate being the youngest amongst guys like us. Hahahahaha.
I'm actually the most mischievous in our group. I'm such a goof that I can't stand being curious about something and I've always had everything my way. I pulled a lot of pranks on my younger sister in particular -- shooting BB guns into her room if the door was left open or I would pee in her room. I once also let crabs run loose in her room after catching them at the beach. Hahahaha. I know it may seem like I'm crossing the line at times but I'm just helping them discover their true self. No matter how quiet someone may be, their true personalities will come out when they're with me.
Reporter : Yoon Hee-Seong nine@10asia.co.kr
Photographer : Lee Jin-hyuk eleven@10asia.co.kr
Editor : Jessica Kim jesskim@asiae.co.kr, Lee Ji-Hye seven@10asia.co.kr
<ⓒ10Asia All rights reserved>
My name is Lee Joon. My real name is Lee Chang-sun.
I was born on February 7, 1988. My birthday is early in the year so I'm friends with Seung Ho and G.O.
Having to practice all night everyday is hard but it's okay because I've gotten used to it. Everyone goes through hard times in their life. I'll fall asleep at the hair salon and wake up to find that my make-up has been done. Hahaha.
I'm naturally slim so there wasn't anything in particular that I wasn't allowed to eat while filming "Ninja Assassin" apart from oily food. So when I went to the restaurant with Rain, he'd order a whole bunch of food for me and tell me to eat one food after the other. He'd watch me eat that food while he himself would just eat peanuts. There were many times I felt awful because I was full but couldn't stop until I finished everything.
The physical training I underwent ahead of shooting the movie was grueling. But I'm disappointed that my body didn't look so good in the parts I appeared in. I had cried while receiving training because it was so tough. And I've been so busy after my debut that I still haven't been able to go to the theater to watch the film itself. I envy my fans who leave comments saying they watched it several times. And I don't even remember the whole story properly anymore.
Acting is my life. I want to pursue it without taking any breaks. And I want to keep looking at scripts. I actually had been a bit proud because my acting debut was in a Hollywood film. And after that, I'd been preparing to shoot a war film with other actors my age but it got cancelled after I had become familiar with the script. I was sad but I believe there are things I learn from the process of preparing for it.
I majored in dance at Korea National University of Arts. I had originally wanted to major in drama but I heard you can't get in if your academic grades are very bad so I looked for another major. That's when I came across a video of dancer-turned-actor Lee Yong-woo of when he won a dance competition. I'd always thought that guy dancers would wear tights and would look feminine but he looked very charismatic with a buzz cut and his great outfit so I took up dancing during my final year of middle school.
I actually have very short arms. They're shorter than female arms too. It's important to have long arms to dance so I extend the muscles in my shoulders to elongate my arms although I think it still shows. And I've been told to fix the dancing for our group's choreography because they say it looks too much like artistic dance. I'm always tensed up when I'm dancing.
My voice is still in bad condition after having been sick with the influenza flu. I keep coughing when I talk or sing. And I have to keep smiling in a cute way when singing "G.O.O.D Luv" so much that my facial muscles hurt. Seung Ho is having a really hard time with it because he has to keep smiling when he's actually quite reserved and quiet. People often say that I'm clumsy but I'm not. I'm definitely not that type at all. Oh, there's something on my mouth? It must be from the cookies I ate earlier. Haha.
My name is Cheon Dung. My real name is Park Sang-hyun.
I was born on October 7, 1990. People keep thinking I'm the youngest of the group! (Mir: You look the youngest!)
I came to Korea two years ago/ I was good at speaking Korean because everyone uses it at home. And I had never learned to write Korean but I could read and write it one day so I realized the mysterious appeal of language.
The thing I had the hardest time adjusting to in Korea was the cold weather! The Philippines is warm all year round so I don't have to turn on the air conditioner in Korea in adequately hot weather. But I have such a hard time with the cold. I still like the snow though. I've always dreamed of seeing a white Christmas so I hope it'll snow this year and I'll get to eat steak with my family.
I really like meat. Everyone else likes Korean food a lot so I don't get to eat it as often now but one day, when we all become successful both as a group and in our individual careers, I'm going to eat meat everyday. The pathetic thing about me is that I don't know how to cook meat. I actually don't know how to cook at all so I can't even set the right amount of water for cooking ramen. I only recently learned how to cook cup noodles.
I'm usually quiet but I've become much more talkative after becoming a member of MBLAQ. I like that feeling you get when you just sit without talking. I get sort of a peaceful feeling when I just listen quietly to everyone talking.
My sister Sandara has praised me since I was young saying that I'm good looking and tall. My sister is just like that -- she's good to my younger sister and the whole family. I also met my seniors in boy band 2PM in person before and Nichkhun was so good looking. Then I was once on a plane to Japan when a lady said hi to me thinking I was Nichkhun. I felt so happy at that moment. She then looked and Mir and thought he was Hong-ki [from FT Island]. But she looked so serious that we couldn't tell her that we were MBLAQ so we just smiled.
My hairstyle changed as our song changed and it was my idea. I wanted to give off the vibe of Justin Timberlake from his N'Sync days. I look a bit different now because my hair grew out a bit but Rain told me not to cut it so I've left it. The cheek blush wasn't my idea.
I personally liked my outfit for "Oh Yeah". I'm someone who looks nowhere close to sexy but I looked kind of different with my clothes ripped up at least.
My name is Mir. I revealed my real name on air. That it's Bang Chul-yong! Hahaha. But Rain calls us by our real names. Byung-hee and Chul-yong. I like it better because it sounds more friendly.
I was born on March 10, 1991. I entered school a year earlier than everyone.
My brother-in-law is the CEO of my agency. But I hadn't known it in the beginning. I had been thinking he was a normal businessman when he came up to me one day and asked me if I knew who Rain was. Who wouldn't? He's Rain! I talked to him for several days, thought about it hard, and became a trainee on the premise that I would be cut immediately if I didn't do well. I really felt honored. I had always wondered what it would be like to practice under him but to think I became one of them!
I had a really hard time while I was a trainee because when I go home, my family and the CEO would be looking at my monthly evaluation sheet and I would get scolded directly by the CEO. He used to be a brother-in-law who I used to hang out with and would buy me meals but now he's a CEO who never says a good word to me.
I have a dream to become a rapper. I really like Tiger JK whom I got to meet at an awards ceremony. I really felt proud and honored to meet him as someone with the same job as him. Of course, I'm not on the same level as him yet. I've always liked the artists with Movement and rappers like MC Sniper. I also liked rappers such as Supreme Team and Dokki so much that I met with them to ask them to teach me how to rap.
I receive a lot of advice from my team members for coming up with the ending for "G.O.O.D Luv". Last Sunday's was G.O's idea.
G.O. is the one who is in charge of summing up what we say. He's good at pointing out the essence of what we say. And Joon is the one who gets the most easily excited.
I really did farming before debuting. I went to a middle school which had farming machine in the playground. It's cold right now so it's time to take good care of the black goats and carry out maintenance of the farming machine. It's also time to request for machine parts. Working on a farm is sometimes more difficult than practicing our dance moves and singing. It's so hard picking peppers and apples. I sometimes feel bad because I know the farming schedule. To think that my dad will be doing everything alone. I should be helping my dad because things like crop-dusting is very hard to do alone.
Reporter : Yoon Hee-Seong nine@10asia.co.kr
Photographer : Lee Jin-hyuk eleven@10asia.co.kr
Editor : Jessica Kim jesskim@asiae.co.kr, Lee Ji-Hye seven@10asia.co.kr
<ⓒ10Asia All rights reserved>
Credits: Asiae.co.kr
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