Happy to be together on "Happy Together"!
Welcome.
- Hello. / - Hello.
It's 2016, the year of the...
- Do it again. / - Pardon me.
(He's being careful)
It's 2016, the year of the monkey.
- Happy New Year. / - Happy New Year.
Happy New Year.
To start off the New Year afresh
- we changed our outfits. / - Okay.
We wanted to start with a new attitude.
- Our clothes were too dull. / - They won't be anymore.
Be glad we didn't change the hosts,
- you traitor. / - We're still discussing that.
- Really? / - So let's work hard
and make this show the most popular one
on Thursday nights in 2016.
- I hope we will do better / - Let's do better.
this year.
We'll make it if we try a little more.
We have to try a lot harder.
- We must not become complacent. / - That's right.
With your complacent attitude,
how did you win an award?
- Congratulations! / - Congratulations.
Park Myungsoo!
If we're together, we can do it.
Please keep watching us and stay tuned.
- I started working for KBS in 1991. / - Is that true?
- In 1991? / - I appeared on "Guest Room Show".
- With news anchor Won Jongbae? / - Yes.
- Didn't you start off with MBC? / - With MBC?
- I debuted as a comedian on MBC. / - Yes.
He's also a traitor.
You would have to call yourself a traitor.
I didn't go through the interview process.
I was hired through a connection.
(He had a connection)
- Anyway, congratulations again. / - Thank you.
I hope you will continue to work hard
on "Happy Together" this year.
If I'm with Jaeseok and the others here,
- we can do it. Keep at it. / - The others?
We will bring you much laughter and fun.
- Okay. / - That's great.
Go, "Happy Together"!
This is "Happy Together" of the New Year.
Let me introduce today's guests.
They're celebrities who have become popular in China.
It's the Conquerors of the Continent Special!
Please welcome, Turbo, Chaeyeon, Eunjung and Hyomin.
Please come on in.
Welcome.
(They walk out with dignity)
(Kim Jongkook, Kim Jungnam, Mikey)
- Welcome. / - Hello.
Why are you talking so much?
We see them every week.
- Goodness. / - Gosh.
- Hello. / - Hello.
- Welcome. / - Is this really true?
- Please say hello. / - Hello, I'm Kim Jongkook.
(Hello, I'm Kim Jongkook)
(Jongkook, that was impressive)
This show is broadcast in Korea,
- I know. / - but many watch this in China.
Pardon me, but please wake up.
- Yes. / - Okay.
- It's today's topic, you know. / - Yes.
(He's nervous)
- That was Jongkook. Who's next? / - Yes.
Hello, it's nice to meet you.
While Jongkook was performing in China,
I performed in many events in Korea.
I'm Kim Jungnam.
- Kim Jungnam. / - Welcome.
Who's next?
Hello.
While Jongkook was in China
and Jungnam was working in Korea,
I was having fun in America. I'm Mikey.
That's good.
The viewers may know these two,
but most of viewers wouldn't recognize Mikey.
- Mikey? / - People forgot you.
- That's right. / - Who's next?
Hello, I'm Chaeyeon.
After working in Korea
I left for China
and now I'm back in Korea.
Her name was Jinsook before.
- Long time no see, Jinsook. / - That's right.
Who's next?
Hello, I've been a member of T-ara for seven years.
- I'm Eunjung. / - I'm Hyomin.
Okay.
It's been seven years since T-ara's debut.
- That's right. / - I didn't know.
What do you have
- on your heads? / - Is it a trend in China?
- It is popular. / - What is it?
It's a hair pin that is currently popular in China.
We've invited the Conquerors of the Continent
- to today's show. / - Yes.
- The three of you are back / - Yes.
- as Turbo after 14 years. / - Congratulations.
Congratulations. This is great.
Awesome.
(Turbo currently ranks number one on the music charts)
Jaeseok, you also took part in our new album.
That's right.
- I was shortly in the beginning. / - He played a role
- as an MC. / - I just did the introduction.
(Jaeseok is rapping)
(Oh yes, 2015 MC Jaeseok is in the house,)
(Guess who's back)
Lee Kwangsoo and Cha Taehyun made
- an appearance. / - Cha Taehyun participated, too.
- He even brought a mask. / - Yes, he did.
- Did he? / - He said he wanted to use it.
Whose idea was it to reunite the three of you as Turbo?
Why did you come back as a trio instead of a duo?
It was my idea to form a trio.
Both of them thought it would be a duo.
Both of them thought it'd be just the two of us.
They told me that later.
How did you react when you two met each other?
I didn't know he came back from America.
How about you, Mikey?
I feel a little uncomfortable right now.
- He was a member before me. / - Okay.
So it makes it even more awkward.
Jungnam was in Turbo first...
He was the one who left.
But Mikey was
in the group longer.
I'm not sure if it's a good comparison.
I feel like I'm sitting with my ex-wife
and current wife.
- I see. / - It's like "Love and War".
We made more albums.
We performed longer together as well.
(Kim Jongkook and Mikey)
(The third album Jongkook made with Mikey in 1997)
(The album containing their hit song)
(Sold 1.4 million copies)
(Mikey's rap changed the musical style of Turbo)
(He has a recognizable unique voice)
(And)
(Here comes)
(Jongkook in his early 20s)
(He sang in his high-pitched voice)
(The song is from Turbo's third album)
(Watch the cute dancer behind him)
(It's love)
(Mikey's dance moves are so good)
(The idol group of the 90s, Turbo)
(Turbo is losing)
(Come on, female fans)
(Pick up your phones and vote for them)
(The number is rising)
Jungnam didn't perform a lot as a member of Turbo.
- He didn't. / - I performed a lot.
Wasn't it only for about two years?
Which songs did you sing?
(Kim Jongkook and Kim Jungnam)
(A powerful dance)
(Eye-catching costumes)
(Songs with an addictive melody)
(Energetic dancing)
(Powerful rapping)
(He even raps with a mask on in "Black Cat Nero")
(Kim Jungnam was a dancer who led)
(The dance music trend in the 90s)
(The song is from Turbo's second album in 1996)
(They showed highly skilled dance moves)
(With the addictive melody and dance moves,)
(They dominated Korea)
(A dance with aggressive hand movements)
(The song is from Turbo's second album in 1996)
(Very cute)
(Jungnam wasn't the only dancer)
(In the group)
(Jongkook used to be a great dancer as well)
(Amazing)
We made two albums together.
Didn't you leave the group because of your greed?
Well...
He had ambition.
- I didn't mean that. / - It was ambition.
Pardon me if I made a mistake.
You had ambition.
It wasn't because of my ambition.
People around me kept making me follow that ambition.
Did they say you were better off going solo?
Yes.
They said it'd be much better to keep
all the money to myself.
(I left the group for something bigger)
I heard Mikey had a hard time because of Jungnam.
- Why? / - I had a very hard time.
Was it because you didn't know when he'd be back?
It wasn't like that.
People would compare the two of us.
It was like a competition.
Jungnam dances like this, but I can't dance like him.
They told me to rap exactly like Jungnam
when we started recording.
They told me to change my voice to be like his.
He had to try to sound more like him.
When I heard their music on the radio,
I thought I was hearing my voice.
- He sounded just like me. / - Really?
Could you sing it a little?
For example, can you sing "Love Is"?
(This is Kim Jungnam's rap part in "Love Is")
(Note the high-toned rapping)
(Jungnam looks quite young)
("Love Is", Jungnam's version)
("Love Is", Mikey's version)
- Wow. / - They sound similar.
So this time, when we recorded the part
where they rap together,
it sounded like one voice.
I asked both of them to rap together.
They said both of them rapped.
- Your voices are similar. / - Yes.
My voice wasn't similar to his before.
- My voice used to be lower. / - Show them.
If I were to sing in my voice...
'We met six years ago and fell in love'
- I would do this. / - I see.
You raised the tone.
I had a very hard time because of my lower toned voice.
But isn't Mikey cuter than him?
(Who are you to judge my looks?)
Why do you suddenly...
Both of you have matching hairstyles.
- Their glasses, too. / - That's right.
Jungnam is one of the best when it comes to dancing.
- I'm overwhelmed. / - Of course.
We can't forget to mention
"Saturday, Saturday Is for Singers".
That's right.
(They came back after 18 years)
(Jongkook and Jungnam shared the stage)
(After such a long time)
(It's a fresh start for Turbo)
(Their 90s fever starts now)
I heard Mikey was going to sing with you on the show.
- Was it Mikey? / - That's right.
Well, they wanted us to appear on the show as Turbo.
He and I hadn't been in touch for 18 years.
- Really? / - Wow.
So you two didn't end things on a good note.
- That's not true. / - Isn't that true?
- It just happened that way. / - Okay.
Since we hadn't seen each other in a long time, I
- thought I'd be performing with Mikey. / - With Mikey?
That was the original plan.
About a month before starting
"Saturday, Saturday Is for Singers",
Jungnam contacted me to discuss about a business.
- After 18 years? / - Wow.
- Yes. / - Was he seizing an opportunity?
So we met up.
(Was it part of his strategy?)
Now that I think about it,
Mikey and I kept talking about coming back as Turbo.
I hadn't talked about it with Jungnam.
- I thought it would be meaningful. / - Okay.
If he had told me this ahead of time,
it wouldn't have hurt me as much.
We even talked on the phone.
- I called him. / - "Infinite Challenge" called me.
So I told all my friends
that I'll be appearing on "Infinite Challenge".
I told them that I will start working.
But they didn't contact me even after a while.
I read an article that Turbo is
to appear on "Infinite Challenge".
However, there was someone else's photo.
- It must have been hard. / - It wasn't hard, but
You must have been disappointed.
- I was quite disappointed. / - Okay.
And I didn't know how to resolve it.
Why didn't he bring this up
in a private conversation with us?
- What's funny is that / - It's not easy.
he doesn't say much when we're hanging out in private.
He's very cool, but when we're on air like this,
he says everything on his mind.
He likes making things public.
So I'm slightly scared of him.
It might be a bit uncomfortable for Mikey
being with you two since you're his elders.
- That's true. / - There's a story behind this, too.
The producers of "Infinite Challenge" said...
(What's the story behind?)
Since Mikey was quite far away,
- the plane tickets were expensive. / - That's right.
- That's right. / - I see.
- That's why Jungnam was picked. / - He got lucky.
It's because we were on a budget.
They also said that
there are other 90s singers living in LA.
If they were invited, too,
they could be cast all together.
- I see. / - In other words,
I would go to America
to interview all of them
- to save money on plane tickets. / - That's right.
- They could... / - The group Solid is America.
- That could have worked, / - Yes.
but the others weren't available,
so Mikey wasn't invited.
I'm sorry.
It's okay.
We're here today with the hallyu stars of China.
Popularity is based on the number of followers on SNS.
- That's right. / - Based on the data from 2015,
the most followed hallyu star was Lee Minho.
- How many followers does he have? / - Lee Minho.
He had 28,309,124 followers.
- He had over 28 million? / - That's nearly 30 million.
- Nearly 30 million. / - More than Seoul's population.
- Wow. / - That's amazing.
- Is it 28 million? / - Yes.
Jongkook had the most followers among our guests.
Okay.
He had 2,390,000 followers.
- I see. / - That's a lot of followers.
That's a large number as well.
Compared to 28 million...
You need to work harder.
I will work harder.
- You need to sleep less. / - Okay.
But 2.3 million is a lot.
It is a lot, but compared to 28 million...
I didn't know I had that many followers.
(Don't be discouraged)
The difference is 25 million followers.
(Get 25 million more followers)
Aren't you very popular in China?
People say that I am, but I'm not so sure.
But you must feel it.
Aren't there many fans at the airport?
It depends on where I go.
It also depends on whether I announce it or not.
- Is there a difference? / - Of course, there is.
It makes a huge difference.
They have to know that he's coming.
- Otherwise, how would they know? / - That's right.
When Jee Seokjin goes to China,
- he announces his departure. / - I see.
- He announces it. / - That's right.
I'm sure there are people
- who feel pressured to come. / - Many feel pressured.
"Why is he coming back here again?"
- "Do I have to go?" / - "Didn't he come last week?"
"He probably isn't so busy in Korea."
Jungnam or Mikey could tell us how popular he is.
- Is he popular? / - Do you notice it?
(He's not interested)
I haven't seen him in 18 years.
(Why did you ignore me?)
- In Korea... / - You sound so sad.
It's not like you're reuniting
with a lost family member.
We haven't seen each other for a long time.
This isn't a morning show.
I started noticing our popularity about a week ago.
I heard that we topped the music charts in China
- after Turbo regrouped. / - Yes.
- It's not because of us two. / - Isn't that great?
- Of course. / - You now have fans abroad
- who support you. / - That's right.
I think it's all because of Jongkook.
The tone of your voice
sounds like you're annoyed.
He has all these business ideas to run in China.
Really? What are they?
- He wants to teach dance. / - To open a dance school?
So he even made a website for it
before re-joining Turbo.
Do you notice how popular Jongkook is, Mikey?
- I don't. / - Why not?
- I think... / - Why would you say that?
- I haven't seen you perform. / - That's true.
- Mikey is honest. / - He is.
Mikey, why do you think Jongkook is popular?
I really don't understand why.
What I mean is...
- Jongkook is very popular. / - Is he?
There are many others who are witty and funny.
Jongkook is the least funny celebrity on this show.
I don't think he's very funny
in the other variety shows, either.
(I don't think he is funny)
- He's actually... / - Did you watch the shows?
I watch it often.
He spent a long time in America.
He's been far away.
Turbo got together after a while.
But you guys all think differently.
The two of them want to take
this opportunity to do better than Jongkook.
- Right? / - Yes.
He's preparing for "Show Me the Money".
(He's getting ready for "Show Me the Money")
He wants to be on "Show Me the Money" as a rapper.
You can gain some popularity on "Happy Together".
Then you're going straight to "Show Me the Money".
- What about Jungnam? / - He's honing a skill.
Jungnam wants to enter the market in China with dance.
- I used to talk well. / - Yes.
- But they told me dance instead. / - Is that so?
- Chaeyeon. / - Yes?
It's been nine years since you came out on this show.
- Is that right? / - Yes.
I remember I was here when you used
to shoot water guns.
You've come back to Korea after five years.
Yes, five years.
- You were in China for eight years. / - Yes.
Why did you leave for China?
I didn't go to China first to accomplish something big.
Clon and I were in the same agency.
He's the first generation of hallyu.
- Yes. / - When he performed in China,
I was on stage with him.
For his dance,
- he needed a female partner. / - Okay.
So I danced as his partner.
I sang my song and we sang together as well.
At the airport, I could tell how popular I've become
for the first time.
The Chinese fans were cheering for me.
People in charge of security were also surprised.
I was very surprised.
There were so many people who recognized me.
I was being treated like an idol star
which I never became in Korea.
Did you become popular
- after singing with Clon? / - Yes.
Do you have trouble hearing?
(Jongkook will help us)
He is relying on Jongkook.
I searched for my own style and character in China
and that led me to be here.
What are you known as in China?
- You're a sexy diva in Korea. / - That's right.
I am known as a sexy singer in China as well.
I'm known as a sexy diva.
I was trying hard
in the Chinese variety shows with a language barrier.
So people liked it.
She's speaking like Ida Daussy.
Ida Daussy?
I know what you mean.
When Chaeyeon speaks Chinese?
She's approachable.
When I think of Chaeyeon, I think of this song.
(What is he singing?)
- What? / - I heard it's popular in China.
It might be
- because TV shows played it a lot. / - Okay.
When I tell the audience
that I will sing "Two of Us",
- the audience reacts positively. / - How?
- They scream louder. / - It's true.
- Please show us. / - What do you say?
- When things start to heat up... / - "This song is..."
- Everyone's excited. / - Yes, they are.
(Let's go! Let's go!)
- He's speaking Mandarin. / - Calm down.
It's a family trait.
It's for your own good.
- Do you have to... / - What were you saying?
It's a family trait. I can't help it.
(The next song is "Two of Us")
Say it with more energy.
Say it like you really mean it.
(The next song is "Two of Us")
(Sing it with me)
(Yes)
(Let's go! Thank you! I love you!)
You sound like you're drunk.
- Are you drunk? / - That is...
- You must be drunk. / - Stop it.
I'm still excited that I won an award.
- I see. / - I won an award.
- Do they yell at the chorus? / - They don't.
- They just sing along. / - I see.
- Only Koreans do. / - Okay.
I sang that song in Korea
after being in China for a while.
I jumped when I heard it because I'd forgotten.
They don't yell at the chorus.
- When they say "Swa", / - "Swa!"
then I remember.
- I was taken by surprise. / - As we said earlier,
- it's the same for Jongkook, too. / - Yes.
It's amazing how fans overseas respond to your songs.
- It is. / - When they sing along, you
- get emotional on stage. / - I'm so grateful to them.
- It's great. / - And
- when I sing in Korean, / - Exactly.
they sing along in Korean with me.
Eunjung and Hyomin.
T-ara debuted in China a year ago, right?
Yes, we still don't know how we became so popular
in such a short period of time.
We suddenly became popular
- because they loved one of our songs. / - I see.
A Taiwanese singer did a cover of one of our songs
- and it became a hit. / - Which one?
- "Bo Peep Bo Peep." / - Oh.
(The song has an addictive melody)
(And adorable choreography)
(The cute cat dance is an important part)
(Of the performance)
Let's see how popular T-ara is in China.
- Let find out. / - They're hugely popular.
- My goodness. / - Our research
- will surprise you. / - Tell us all about it.
They're the most popular Korean girl group in China.
- Really? / - They're the top girl group.
- They beat Big Bang. / - Among all the idol groups,
EXO's the most popular group
and then T-ara came second.
(T-ara is the second most popular idol group in China)
- Big Bang is... / - My goodness.
In "Billboard's 2015 Fan Army Face-Off",
your fans beat Beyonce's fans.
With the help of Chinese fans?
- This is amazing. Beyonce... / - Beyonce...
- They beat Beyonce? / - They beat Beyonce?
(We beat Beyonce who is a global superstar)
I wonder if she asked, "Who are they?"
- Did you really beat Beyonce? / - She's so famous.
- I can't take this. / - How did we not know this?
- How did this happen? / - I read about it somewhere.
(Billboard is a world famous music chart)
(They hosted a popularity contest between singers)
(T-ara received over six times more votes)
- Six times more? / - You see...
Six times more votes than Beyonce?
How did that happen?
- They do have six members. / - That's incredible.
(It's not because we're a group)
- We can explain this. / - The fans voted.
- Yes. / - Don't be embarrassed, be proud.
We were just as surprised as everyone else.
The Billboard website allowed fans
to vote and called it a "Fan Army Face-Off".
I guess everyone was surprised.
- Well... / - They went, "What's happening?"
I bet Beyonce rarely had to experience
such a crushing defeat.
- I guess so. / - She must have felt crushed.
It wasn't just a fluke. You got six times more votes.
- It's the power of our fans. / - They are formidable.
You must be huge over there.
Do people ask to meet you?
You beat Beyonce.
- And you beat Big Bang. / - What's going on?
- I can't stand this. / - Why is your ring so small?
- You should wear a bigger ring. / - Why do you care?
- They beat Beyonce. / - They're a girl group.
Shouldn't they wear bigger jewelry?
You should be wearing a four carat diamond rings.
- Four carats? / - You should wear thicker bracelets.
- Don't... / - It's crazy.
- They're so humble. / - Yes.
Could you sing one of your Chinese songs for us?
- Could you? / - It's embarrassing.
- Is that a different song? / - Show us.
- Should we stand up? / - Yes.
This is fascinating.
- We'll sing without any music. / - Okay.
- Do you remember the words? / - Not really.
- Let's sing. / - Okay.
- Is she older? / - Are you fighting?
We are not.
- We are not. / - Are you close, then?
- Working together can cause... / - That's true.
- Aren't they friends? / - There are ups and downs.
- Of course. / - We have different roles here.
- That's right. / - We get along great.
- He detects discord. / - We get along fine.
One, two, three, four.
(They are perfectly synchronized)
They're singing "Little Apple".
(Cute)
- We'll stop here. / - That was great.
I liked that.
(The excited old man's yelling again)
- I know you have fans, / - Yes.
but how well are you treated when you're in China?
It's not really about how well we're treated,
but I once went over to shoot a commercial.
I'm not sure if it was a slow season,
- but they gave us the whole floor. / - Look at him.
- Look at his face. / - What's wrong?
- Let him talk. / - We'll get to you later.
It's like I always say. You're riding my coattails.
(He's right)
- You're riding his coattails. / - Clap, Mikey.
- He's right. / - Jungnam.
- That actually makes sense. / - It does.
Let's be honest.
That makes sense.
- He's trying to revive Turbo. / - That's right.
- Did they give you the whole floor? / - Yes, they did.
I didn't use all the rooms.
It was for security purposes.
- No strangers allowed? / - That's right.
A whole floor of a hotel?
We hear about that happening when a huge pop star
or a celebrity visits from abroad.
- It's the whole floor. / - Yes.
I heard of teams securing rooms above and below.
I didn't need all the rooms on that floor.
- Those rooms were left empty. / - Well...
There's more to it.
People guard the elevators
to stop fans from getting in.
I actually got stopped once when I tried to get in.
- That happens to staff members. / - I see.
We were staying on the same floor and they stopped me.
The protection can get
- embarrassing. / - It can.
- There are many airports in China. / - There are.
Some airports don't even have boarding gates.
You have to walk along the tarmac.
- Some airports are like that. / - I see.
- Some airports are rarely used. / - You're right.
So if there are five or six burly men in suits
trying to protect you from nothing,
the other passengers look and ask, "Who is she?"
This actually attracts more people.
A few years ago, on the show "Running Man"...
- We showed that scene. / - We did.
There were 60 police officers waiting for us.
- There were 60 police officers. / - Really?
- They... / - They protected us.
Were there more police than fans?
- There were no fans. / - There were no fans.
(There were no fans)
Hello. Hello.
(Who are we supposed to stop?)
- There's no one here. / - I know.
(Who are we here to protect?)
- Why are they here? / - It's embarrassing.
Thank you.
(They just smile)
They were perplexed, too.
- They still have a job to do, / - Okay.
- so they surrounded us. / - It was so embarrassing.
There was no one else there.
- Not even one? / - Not even one.
It's not like that all the time.
You have to tell the fans you're coming.
The officers were whispering among themselves.
No one would have noticed
- had it not been for them. / - Okay.
- Even in hotel elevators, / - Yes.
- they protect us from nothing. / - That's right.
- It gets a bit awkward. / - They don't have to.
- In China... / - I'm thankful but...
- What about in gyms? / - There's...
- They're waiting in there? / - They know I'll show up.
- They wait in the gym. / - Do they exercise?
They aren't dressed for a workout at all.
They sit and cycle for hours until I show up.
- It's so obvious. / - Really?
- It's so obvious. / - They don't wear gym clothes?
- They have to do something. / - That's right.
They don't get to see us often,
so they put more effort.
- That's nice. / - I'm impressed.
Chaeyeon...
You two look...
Go get some tea or a coffee.
What was Jongkook like in the past?
Was he really that quiet?
- He rarely spoke. / - Really?
- We worked together for years. / - Okay.
Nothing really fun happened.
(He's boring)
- Nothing fun happened? / - No.
He just exercises.
Was he a disciplined man who only exercised?
He was
- but he became even more disciplined. / - Really?
Mikey, didn't you go out and drink with him a lot?
- We drank a lot in the beginning. / - Did you?
He used to have a weird habit when he drank.
- What was it? / - For example...
We rarely get to hear about what he's like when drunk.
- What is it? / - What are you going to say?
- What is it? / - What is it?
Well, he calls everyone.
Friends, junior singers and everyone.
- Not the older friends? / - No.
- Not his older friends. / - I see.
- Then he orders. / - Okay.
- He doesn't ask for a few bottles. / - I see.
- He asks for a whole crate. / - Wow.
- No way. / - And he puts it next to him.
And everyone has to drink the same amount.
(They all drank the same amount)
- That was a long time ago. / - Yes, a long time ago.
- Some are bound to leave. / - Okay.
- They can't handle it. / - Okay.
He would say, "Mikey, that person just left."
"Go and bring him back."
- Gosh. / - Wow.
- Gosh. / - Then I had to go.
- Why did I do that? / - I'm not close with everyone.
But I had to go to them and say, "Jongkook says"
"you can't leave yet."
He asked why not, so I said,
"You'll have to ask him that."
We used to drink all night.
At the time I did nothing but drink.
- Yes. / - Everyone left me.
- Also... / - When we drink,
we want to chat with ladies,
or enjoy ourselves, don't we?
- Of course. / - We want to have fun.
I didn't like that back then.
- We never drank with women. / - You know,
I never met or dated a lady while I worked with him.
- That's the worst. / - In the dressing room
before a show,
we met other famous girl groups.
There were Fin.K.L and S.E.S.
and they were all like angels.
- Okay. / - They'd come to say hi.
I was so happy to see them,
so I wanted to stand and greet.
But when Jongkook said, "Hello",
I ended up feeling like I should act cool.
- I used to be really timid. / - Really?
- Okay. / - What changed you?
That's what I don't understand.
- I'm so confused. / - Okay.
Wasn't he your ideal type?
- On KBS, / - Yes.
there was a show called "Star Date".
I remember the show.
- Hello. / - Hello.
What were you doing?
I'm getting ready.
I live in Anyang.
- You live in Ilsan, right? / - Yes.
Good, I'll take you home.
- Can I come with you? / - Yes.
But...
- Are you singing together? / - Yes.
- You recorded something together. / - I was nervous.
(19-year-old Jinsook)
- You were so cute. / - I was still in high school.
- I think she was a senior. / - Right.
We both were on the show, not just him.
- Yes, we were on as Turbo. / - She never mentioned me.
- I don't remember. / - Did you visit her?
- I did. / - I don't remember that.
He said he visited.
Was I a staff member?
I don't remember.
At a recording studio in Yongsan,
the studio where we recorded our songs,
- we recorded a song. / - That's right.
I cried at the end.
She did.
- Did you? / - Yes.
I was there when she cried.
- He was. / - She doesn't remember.
- He was there. / - How about now?
What do you think about him now?
There was something I wanted to say.
What is it?
- When I first appeared on "X-Man", / - Yes.
- that's when we met again. / - Yes.
But I was too shy
to go up to him and say, "I'm Jinsook from that show."
- You couldn't say it. / - That's right.
We acted like complete strangers for about two years.
- For two years? / - Yes.
Until we played the "Of Course" game
- and he said, "Hello, Jinsook". / - That's right.
Yes, I remember that.
- That's right. / - That's when we found out.
Of course.
It's been a while, Jinsook.
"It's been a while, Jinsook?"
It's been a while, Jinsook.
- That's when we all found out. / - Yes.
Until he said that,
- neither of us had mentioned it. / - That's right.
- All I did was saying hello / - Okay.
- and he was still timid back then. / - Yes.
He rarely talked.
He used to glare at me if I asked him to dance.
I did not.
I wasn't entirely sure.
I assumed that he knew who I was,
but as soon as he said that
I felt very nervous.
Of course, you did.
- I knew it. / - She couldn't tell I knew her.
I didn't really talk to female
- celebrities. / - He didn't.
You didn't, but then Yoon Eunhye made an appearance.
- When she came on... / - That's when things changed.
(He made women swoon)
Of course.
(Jongkook was romantic, then)
- That's because / - Okay.
- I was pressured to do that. / - He broke many hearts.
- He shouldn't have done that. / - The situation
- forced me to do it. / - Singing songs like "One Man",
- he gave women false hope. / - That's right.
'There is one man'
- What song is that? / - 'A man who loves you'
She thought it was about her.
Eunhye thought it was for her.
He's so nice to everyone
and ends up confusing them.
That would be frustrating.
- Do you get what I mean? / - No!
- I'm not like that. / - He makes people fall for him.
Jinsook's upset now. Do you enjoy that?
- Why would I? / - Do you?
What's the reason?
- I... / - Don't be nice, then.
- Don't be nice, then. / - Don't be nice, then.
- Why are you nice to them? / - Tell us.
I'm nice to all women.
- Are you nice to everyone? / - Yes, of course.
Say a woman is nice to you.
What would you do if she confused you?
- It'd be frustrating. / - Even if a woman is nice
to me, I don't assume until she makes it clear.
- Really? / - Unless she confesses?
So what happens a lot is
people like Haha say,
"I'm certain that woman likes you."
"Make a move."
I deny it until the end.
You're my polar opposite.
Whenever someone says hi,
- I wonder if she likes me. / - That's also a problem.
- You're an extreme case. / - I used to be
pretty close with Chaeyeon.
She once called to ask my plans for the weekend.
- So? / - "Is she into younger guys?"
I was shy, so I didn't meet her.
- But... / - She was just being nice.
Lee Kwangsoo's a bit like that.
He always gets stressed and asks me for advice.
I say things like, "You're mistaken."
"You need to be careful."
- But one day he confessed / - He did.
and he got really humiliated.
When I asked him what happened, he said that...
- He'd asked me, too. / - Yes.
I told him, "Go for it!"
(Talk first, think later)
"Why hesitate?"
- He's like this. / - "Tell me. Do you"
- "like her or not?" / - I thought he was mistaken.
He liked her a lot. So I said, "Then go for it."
"Why waste time?"
So, what did she say?
She said to him, "What's wrong with you?"
Kwangsoo got really humiliated.
- He was hurt. / - I see.
I said he should confess his feelings.
When I hear about the situation,
I can tell if the woman
- is just being nice. / - Okay.
Is there a way to tell interest apart from kindness?
- Sorry? / - How do you differentiate the two?
- Is there a difference? / - Eunjung.
- Will she say hi differently? / - Tell us.
How do you say hello to a guy you know?
- Hello. / - Hi, Eunjung.
- And if you like him? / - What if you like him?
- Hello. / - What's the difference?
(It's in the eyes)
- She smiles. / - It's the gaze.
- You gaze longer. / - Right.
- It's the gaze. / - It's like...
- Do you scan him? / - I don't know.
- I want to look at him longer. / - Earlier today,
I got the wrong idea from her.
- Eunjung said, / - What did I say?
- "I like your outfit." / - Okay.
I wondered if she liked me.
(She can't believe it)
- She likes your outfit. / - Seriously.
Go see a doctor.
- Which specialty? / - You need help.
Your tie is too tight
and the oxygen isn't reaching your brain.
(Is his suit too tight?)
I can breathe just fine.
- Jongkook. / - Yes?
Between Eunhye and Chaeyeon,
who is closer to your ideal type?
- Why... / - "Ideal type"?
My goodness.
- Ideal type? / - It's not like that.
Come on.
They're both his type.
Who do you prefer?
Your 1.7 billion Chinese fans could be wondering
about your ideal type.
I think I always said this.
(She's listening intently)
- When you ask me like that, / - Tell us.
I prefer woman like Eunhye.
I prefer woman like Eunhye. That's the type I like.
You really are frustrating.
Couldn't you have said your type is Chaeyeon for once?
- No, I... / - Come on.
- I... / - How cruel.
- She's over there going... / - Chaeyeon.
- Can't you just say her name? / - She is lovely.
What a shame.
What Chaeyeon and Eunhye have in common is that
they both look healthy and beautiful.
I like them both.
But at the time I think Eunhye and I received
- more attention. / - That's right.
Do you really have less than ten
female celebrities' numbers?
- Is that true? / - Well,
I have less than ten phone numbers
of female celebrities.
- Even now? / - Do you not call them?
I have no reason to.
I only call when I receive holiday greetings.
- Is that it? / - Are you an elderly man?
- Whose number do you have? / - Well,
- I have Shin Bongsun's. / - Shim Eunha's?
- I have Song Jihyo's. / - Song Jihyo's.
And I have a girl group member's number.
- Son Naeun's. / - Naeun's?
- How do you have hers? / - Why hers?
- She wanted to ask me about gyms. / - I see.
- Did she approach you? / - Yes.
I almost never ask a woman for her number.
Is there Eunhye's number?
- Pardon? / - You're still not over her?
- We're just asking. / - You're still not over her?
I think she changed her number.
- Did she? / - You know that much.
- I think she changed it. / - So you tried calling her.
I didn't.
- Do you love her? / - No.
I went too far. Sorry.
- When was your last relationship? / - Pardon?
- Your last relationship. / - Tell us.
It's been a while.
Over a year ago.
- Really? / - Really?
- A year ago? / - So you did meet someone.
Then you kept me in the dark.
Not really.
- How could you do this to me? / - No.
- That's not what I meant. / - Over a year ago?
I meant at least a year.
How could you?
Things change all the time.
You're unbelievable.
Were you cheating on her?
- No. / - Then what is it?
I wanted to date her but...
His last girlfriend I know of was from five years ago.
Really?
- Are you interested in women? / - Pardon?
- Yes, he is. / - Of course.
- He's a man. / - I want to get married soon.
Jiyeon of T-ara is publicly dating someone.
- Yes. / - Isn't she?
(She's dating Lee Donggun and they are 13 years apart)
What's your opinion on dating someone publicly?
What about you, Hyomin?
- There's no choice if I get caught. / - That's right.
(Correct answer)
- You don't have a choice. / - That's a bit...
Did Jiyeon get caught?
- Well... / - She got photographed.
- You might break up. / - Okay.
So I used to be against the idea of dating publicly.
- But I think dating should be fun. / - Okay.
- The same goes for work. / - Okay.
It's better to leave it up to fate.
Do you get jealous of her sometimes?
Rather than dating,
I'm more focused on my career right now.
I want to save up some money while I can get work.
- Okay. / - I want to ready myself first and
- then maybe... / - You want to be financially stable.
Yes, exactly.
That's what I started thinking
- as I got a year older. / - You can become like me.
- That's scary. / - I thought she was
- playing the "Of Course" game. / - I was surprised.
- That surprised me. / - I was surprised.
- Well, Jungnam and Mikey. / - Yes.
Jungnam has been single for eight years, right?
- Yes. / - Are you pressured to get married?
I'm planning on marrying after 50.
- Aren't you 50 yet? / - What are you saying?
- He isn't? / - Next year, or the year after.
Why after 50?
Someone told me that since people live
to be 100 these days,
getting married at 50 is okay.
But you never know.
- You might die sooner. / - That's right.
- What do you think? / - He's thinking.
You might live until 100,
but you might be bedridden for 20 years.
- Stop that. / - Don't say that.
- He always ruins the moment. / - That's right.
- I used to smoke before. / - Yes.
When I smoked, Jongkook told me to quit.
I told him it was hard.
He could stop nagging there, but he went on
to say, "You'll die from it."
- Why did he do that? / - I understand his concerns.
But it's harsh.
- It's because I care about you. / - Anyway,
we know you live a disciplined life. But I thought
- maybe it's all for show. / - Okay.
Jongkook and I talked a lot in China.
He told me that he'll treat me like a brother.
I thought he would ask me
to get drinks with him when we came back.
But instead,
he asked me to get a medical checkup.
- That's great. / - And he then said,
"Let's go work out together." So I told him that
I need to think about it.
Are you overly worried about health?
- No. / - Do you take vitamins?
- You're concerned though. / - But I do
want to live a healthy life.
He doesn't take medicine.
Does he recover without medicine?
It might weaken my immunity.
- I need to overcome it. / - You recently got gout.
- Really? / - Is that true?
- Really? / - Yes.
It's because you eat too much meat.
- You should eat less meat. / - I work out a lot.
- So I eat lots of protein. / - I see.
On the day we met to film "Infinite Challenge"
for the first time in 18 years,
- he ate chicken breasts. / - I see.
- He ate them right in front of me. / - Yes.
I met him after my workout. I didn't have time to eat.
- Okay. / - When we eat with him,
- we don't have much choice. / - Back then?
It's been like that all the time.
- Even in a recording studio. / - It's always chicken.
He eats marinated chicken
- or chicken salad. / - I just love chicken.
- I didn't even imagine it was gout. / - That's right.
I restrict myself. I don't even drink
- or smoke. / - You don't.
I had no idea why I was sick.
- I suffered for about two years. / - That's right.
During the time I was sick, I wondered why.
The orthopedic clinic said
there was no problem with me.
- But it turns out it was gout. / - Are you okay now?
I took medicine for that.
- Why didn't you fight it off? / - Well,
- I couldn't help myself. / - He never takes medicine.
- I had no choice. / - You could have fought it off.
("The Producers", a popular drama of 2015)
(Kim Soohyun stole ladies' hearts)
(The scene stealer, Kim Jongkook)
What are you doing?
(They displayed great chemistry)
(He even had a passionate kiss scene)
(Oh, my goodness)
Are you an actor now?
After shooting "The Producers"
I heard you act like an actor.
You seem very confident about your acting.
- No, it's not like that. / - You act like an actor.
- "The Producers"... / - How did you become an actor?
When they first contacted me for casting,
I told them "No way."
- You were obviously ready. / - No, I wasn't.
I swear.
Cha Taehyun was always against
- the idea of me acting. / - Really?
Ever since I was young, he always told me
- to never get into acting. / - I see.
He said that if I ever really have to act,
I should play a mute character.
- That's what he said. / - A role with no lines?
That's right. But this time
he suggested I do it.
I asked him why
and he said the writer and director are great
and that it'll be good for me.
I was worried about my acting skills,
- but he said I should be fine. / - Really?
She's the writer of "My Love from the Star".
- That's right. / - She wanted me cast.
I couldn't understand why she wanted me in her drama.
- I had a cameo at first. / - But you appeared a lot.
I guess I was doing quite well.
- So she eventually gave me a role. / - Really?
I asked her later why.
She said she wanted to draw attention
with my horrible acting.
(She wanted to make a buzz)
- With his bad acting? / - That's right.
She thought I would do badly.
But I did pretty well, so she gave me an actual role.
I got a call from China.
They wanted me to play a main role.
- Really? / - That's great.
- It was for a movie / - A movie?
- and dramas. I laughed at first. / - I see.
I thought they were joking.
But now that I think about it,
maybe I should give it a try.
- What? / - I mean
I can't do that in Korea.
People will think it's weird.
- Okay. / - Some people are prejudiced.
People would criticize my acting.
But people in China wouldn't do that.
A good thing about doing a drama in China is that
you don't get the feedback right away.
- That's right. / - They shoot everything
- before it airs on TV. / - That's right.
I rarely get distracted when I act
- because I don't receive feedback. / - That's right.
When shooting for "The Producers",
- I got feedback right away. / - That's right.
- People talk about it right away. / - That's right.
- In China... / - "He acts like a robot."
"Jongkook's acting is horrible."
(Wait, what did you just say?)
- He's scary. / - They give instant feedback.
- "You need to do a better job." / - But in China,
- people might think I'm an actor. / - It's true.
- So I thought I could just try. / - Okay.
When you work in China,
- you face cultural differences. / - That's right.
For example, the way people greet.
- Greeting is different. / - How?
- We are a girl group. / - Yes.
So when we introduce ourselves we say something like,
- "I'm a rapper in the group." / - That's right.
So I say in Chinese,
(Hello, I'm multi-talented Eunjung)
- like that. / - Wow.
- I thought she was Chinese. / - "I'm multi-talented"
or "I'm fun-loving Eunjung."
What about you, Hyomin? What do you say?
(Hello, I'm the sexy Hyomin)
- What? / - What's that?
- What? / - She actually
does this in Japan, too. Her character is always sexy.
- I try to be funny. / - She's a sexy character.
I see.
Since "sexy" is an English word,
I thought it'd be okay to use it as it is.
- But... / - But the interpreter
- changed it to "sexy feeling". / - What?
Let me explain. "Sexy feeling" means "sexy" in Chinese.
- Really? / - Yes.
It should have been translated to
- "Sexy Hyomin". / - That's right.
- The local interpreter must have said, / - Okay.
"Hyomin is responsible for sexy feeling."
- That's right. / - That's what happened.
- It gets awkward. / - That's right.
Instead of using the word as is,
- they translated it. / - Don't they say
"visage" instead of "face"?
They said, "Put your visage closer to the camera."
- Perhaps, they were not happy. / - That's right.
- It sounds good though. / - You have a large face.
- That's funny. / - Okay.
What about in Japan?
It's actually very interesting that
our voices change.
- That's right. / - I don't know why.
How does it change?
We'd say "Hello, we're T-ara."
That's how you sound.
- Please say hello. / - "Hello, we're T-ara."
- How do you say it in Japan? / - Ready...
(Very upbeat)
In Japan, our voices
- get high-pitched. / - You're high-pitched.
- It's only natural in Japanese. / - Is that so?
- Try it. / - Show us.
- Do Korean first. / - Say it in Korean first.
- "Hello, I'm Chaeyeon." / - Okay.
(Japanese version)
(She shrugs her shoulders)
- That's how I say it. / - Look at her shoulders.
- I see. / - I see the difference.
- Did I do that? / - Yes.
It happens.
(Shoulders go up)
(The men are happy)
I'd say, "I missed you, too."
This is what you do in Japan.
How about in Korea?
- "I missed you, too." / - And in Japan?
(She says it in a cute voice)
- The staff members are different, too. / - How?
Korean script writers would say,
- "If you look at it here..." / - Okay.
- They'd say it like that. / - Okay.
But Japanese people are like this.
(They are very polite but give short explanations)
(That's true)
- I'm sorry. / - Who does that?
- What was that? / - You're exaggerating.
- Who does that? / - No.
- He's exaggerating. / - Yes.
When I used to work in Japan,
I realized that people do pause a lot when speaking.
- They should work out. / - When they talk,
they rarely speak in long sentences.
They speak it like this.
- It's the way they speak. / - I see.
How about in China?
- They don't talk much. / - Okay.
(Chinese style)
(That's so true)
(Chinese are always full of energy)
- It's because they trust us. / - I see.
We've been talking for a while now.
Even if you practice hard,
- singing in Chinese is difficult. / - That's right.
Do you make mistakes?
How do you avoid making mistakes?
First of all, you get fined,
- if you don't sing live in China. / - Really?
- You have to pay a fine? / - Really?
- He can't sing in China, then. / - He can never do it.
I'll just pay the fine.
- Will you? / - You know...
He said he will just pay the fine.
- But it's a lot. / - They don't let you perform again.
Oh.
(He can't sing in China)
It's not just hundreds or thousands of dollars.
- It's more than that. / - I see.
- It's a lot. / - For concerts?
When we tour, we usually have
an individual stage for each member
and I was going to sing my song in Chinese.
I thought I could do it.
- I started singing. / - The whole song was in Chinese.
- Yes. / - That's hard to do.
But in the middle of the song,
I suddenly forgot the lyrics.
- You didn't remember anything. / - That's right.
Thankfully, there was a chorus
already recorded in at that part.
So I pretended to be tired
and started swaying my body.
- Show us what you did. / - I started shaking my head.
- What? / - You covered your mouth.
- How? / - My hair is long.
- She pretended to dance. / - That's right.
- How did you... / - 'Nice, nice body'
(Don't be flustered. Just cover it up with your hair)
- That's what I did. / - That's great.
From now on,
we'll be able to tell if you know
- the lyrics or not. / - I see.
- Nice, nice. / - Yes.
- That looks sexy. / - Yes.
- I see. / - I look okay on the screen anyway.
It looks sexy, too.
In China, singers wouldn't perform with dance music
because of the fine.
- Actually, that's not true. / - Really?
They sing a lot of 1990s style dance songs.
- Really? / - Yes.
Are there singers who sing and dance like Turbo?
- Yes. / - There are.
- Do they all do it live? / - Yes.
- Is it possible to sing and dance? / - It's possible.
- Really? / - It must be difficult.
- Well, / - I thought he couldn't.
it's easy for me dance really.
- I can dance however I want, but it's / - Okay.
- hard to remember the lyrics. / - Can you show us?
- Show us if you can perform live. / - Try it.
- I want to see. / - Please.
- Jungnam. / - It's not easy.
- Please show us. / - It's difficult.
(It was difficult to do 20 years ago)
(He will sing live while dancing)
- Great. / - Let's go.
- We'll see if he can sing live. / - Let's see.
We're seeing it for the first time.
- Let's see. / - Come on!
(Here I go!)
(He can still dance well)
- Not yet. / - He has to keep going.
(He dances just like 20 years ago)
(It brings back memories)
(The song still makes us excited)
- This is it. / - Here it is.
'We met six years ago I came to love you'
'I followed you without letting you know how I felt'
'With my friend's help'
'I finally confessed my love'
The music is weird.
(My part ends here)
You have to sing the entire song.
- You have to finish it. / - Keep singing.
- Okay. / - Great.
- All right. / - This is great.
(If only I could go to China)
(And be less of Jongkook's burden,)
(I'll dance until my body gives in)
You have to rap after this.
(He's crying, not rubbing his eyes)
- Good! / - Let's go!
'I enlisted in military as soon as I heard the news'
'I left you with my friend'
'The two of you'
(Panting)
(That is it)
- Wow. / - That was good.
We just need the last part pre-recorded.
- Dancing and singing live is... / - I can do it.
- Yes. / - I can if there's music.
Just sit down, please.
- Good job. / - Jungnam, I'll sing with you.
- Great. / - That's why we are a team.
I'll sing the first verse.
As long as one of us sings.
- Sing the first verse. / - Mikey can sing for him.
- This is amazing. / - Your hands...
- His hands are shaking? / - I think Turbo
- can perform in China. / - Of course.
- It's possible. / - They can sing live.
- Let's go. / - Go where?
(In the year 1997,)
(After Jungnam quit, Mikey joined Turbo)
(Turbo is reborn)
Let's see who is on top.
It's Turbo with 1,662 votes!
It's Turbo with 1,924 votes!
(Mikey became famous and drew a lot of attention)
- I wasn't expecting it. / - Okay.
Thank you so much.
Tell us how it was
- when Mikey joined Turbo. / - Yes.
- I loved the original Turbo. / - That's right.
- I had a huge expectation. / - That's right.
- Mikey's dance was a bit weak. / - That's right.
So I wondered why Mikey was chosen.
- I thought the Korean music industry / - Yes.
- would go global. / - Okay.
So I wanted someone with
- foreign language skills. / - He's perfect.
- He's fluent in English. / - That's right.
- I wanted an American style rapper. / - I see.
- Look at him. / - I wanted to focus on rapping.
(Jungnam's upset)
My success leads to your success.
(I'm doing this for us)
I'm doing this for us. Don't forget.
"My success leads to your success."
- He has his head down. / - Jongkook is right.
Back then,
instead of focusing on dance,
- I wanted to focus on the music. / - I see.
- Music was what's important. / - Okay.
I could have studied English.
That would take too long.
(We can't wait for that long)
Actually, the people at the agency
- didn't even talk to me. / - Why not?
They thought Turbo would go down because of me.
- They had a negative outlook. / - I see.
They thought I would join a different group.
- They thought you'd leave. / - That's right.
We heard you were worried about joining Turbo actually.
At the time,
- I didn't like Turbo. / - I see.
- I didn't like the music, either. / - Okay.
I also didn't like Jungnam's dance.
I thought, "What's up with him?"
(What's up with him?)
- That's how I felt. / - He didn't like my style.
- I see. / - I'm more into hip-hop,
so Turbo was too much for me
and I didn't like him.
- I see. / - So I said to myself
that I would never be like that.
(But he became that singer)
Someone told me at the time that
I should join Turbo
to get some experience and become famous.
He also said I could do hip-hop music later.
What did you want to do, then?
I wanted to do hip-hop, which is popular these days.
- I see. / - Okay.
Back then, hip-hop and rap music
- were not popular. / - No one knew about it.
- That's right. / - No one took interest.
- You rapped if you couldn't sing. / - That's right.
Back then, rapping was considered only
- a small part of a song. / - That's right.
- Now it's different. / - Now hip-hop is huge.
I hoped to be in a group like Solid.
- I see. / - You wanted to be like Lee Joon.
- That's right. / - Now you three are like Solid.
(The dream came true)
- Your dream came true. / - That's right.
- Jongkook is Kim Johan. / - Who's Lee Joon?
- Well... / - I'd like to be Lee Joon.
- Would you? / - Yes.
I heard that before joining Turbo,
Mikey passed an audition of a big agency.
I don't know how I should word this,
but I passed every time I auditioned.
- Wow. / - Wow.
- Did you pass the SM audition? / - Yes.
- You were in S.E.S.'s first album. / - Which song?
I was in all the songs that weren't popular.
- We wouldn't know. / - I think I remember seeing
Turbo singing S.E.S. songs.
- You knew about it. / - Yes.
- I think I did 12 out of 14 songs. / - Wow.
He used to be a good rapper, but when he joined Turbo,
he started rapping like Jungnam.
(He converted to Jungnam's style)
He forgot what he used to do.
Why did you audition for Turbo
when you passed SM audition?
I had to live first.
When I was a trainee, I couldn't even afford
- food or housing. / - I see.
He used to sleep and eat on the staircase.
- Really? / - On the stairs?
For a few months, I lived on the stairs.
- A few months? / - Gosh.
I actually ran away from home at that time.
My mother found out that I used to be a trainee
after my debut,
so I needed a job to make a living at the time.
I worked as a delivery man and a construction worker.
- It's illegal, but I was a tout. / - I see.
I worked as a waiter and a DJ, too.
He once got arrested while working as a tout.
- Really? / - How so?
I'd ask someone on the streets to come to a place.
Then someone suddenly held my belt.
- Your belt? / - That's humiliating.
- I didn't know why. He dragged me. / - I see.
He didn't know what he was doing was illegal.
- I really didn't. / - He did it since he didn't know.
That's when I realized
I shouldn't do things like that.
Back in those days, when we found out
that Mikey was from abroad,
we all thought he was from a well-off family.
- At that time, it was popular / - You're right.
to add a member from abroad into a group.
Many went abroad to look for those types of members.
- For Koreans overseas. / - Yes, exactly.
I heard you got into Turbo beating 3,500 people.
- That's a huge competition. / - It's a slim chance.
I'm not sure
- where that came from. / - I guess the agency met
with 3,500 people. But I only met with three people.
I guess the odds were one in three.
- It was in a newspaper. / - The odds of one in 3,500?
So I thought
they went through a lot auditions already
while I was gone.
You must have been sad.
What happened to you after Turbo's break up?
I went back to the America.
We did not actually break up.
There wasn't an official break up.
It was just that Jongkook's contract expired first.
Mine expired a little later.
Anyways, I went back to America.
I loved doing nothing there
- after working for five years. / - You had been busy.
I went clubbing every day, too.
I just hung around doing nothing
and a year or two passed by just like that.
- You hung around? / - Yes.
Did a year or two pass by quickly?
I hung around for ten years.
Time flies when you do nothing.
- It flies quickly. / - Yes.
That's when I slowly began to worry.
- After a year or two, right? / - Yes, I thought,
"What do I do? I don't even have money."
I didn't have any work experiences,
any skills
or money, so I began to worry.
I started doing a lot of different things.
- I was surprised. / - Why?
I studied for a real estate agent license
and it turns out Mikey did, too
- and he passed. / - He got the license.
Did you get a real estate agent license?
I also got an insurance agent license
as well as a real estate agent license.
Do you know places where many African Americans live?
- Like Harlem? / - He worked in a video rental shop.
- A video rental shop? / - Yes.
- Is that right? / - Yes.
He suddenly began to speak
like an African American at one point.
I didn't know what was going on,
but it turned out he was working there.
Wasn't it dangerous?
It was dangerous, but...
I heard you nearly died.
- We were robbed twice. / - My goodness!
Aren't robbers usually armed?
- That's right. / - We were closing up.
So I was counting the cash we made that day.
Then I suddenly felt something pressing on my head.
It was a black man with a gun
wearing a bandana on his face.
He asked for the money, so I gave it to him.
There are many odd situations.
One robber made a hole on the roof and came down.
- My goodness. / - It's true. When we count money,
- we have to lock the doors. / - That's right.
So this guy made a hole on the roof
and took the money. The funny thing was
he climbed back up to the roof.
I couldn't do anything since he was armed.
But he made an effort to climb back up.
I heard you worked at an insurance company for a bit.
I did. It was somewhat safer than my other jobs
and I love talking to people.
So that job suited me quite well.
- What happened? / - There were difficulties.
What were they?
There's a huge Korean community in LA, right?
Many of them came around to my office.
The thing is my actual name is Mikey
and that's my name in America.
So when I consulted Koreans, they'd say things like,
"What are you doing here?"
"Kim Jongkook is really famous in Korea right now"
"and even in China. What are you doing here?"
It was difficult to cope with those types of questions.
- It wasn't the work. / - It made me want to quit.
It must've been difficult to hear that.
How long did you do that job? Did you quit?
I worked until not long ago
and quit to appear on "Infinite Challenge".
But I never got to be on "Infinite Challenge".
So I was a bit...
- You ended up in a tight spot. / - You're right.
That's when I got my new job.
- What was it? / - It was a different company
which paid me a whole lot more.
You're an able man.
I was about to start working when Jongkook called me
to appear on a music show.
- It was the 800th episode. / - Yes, I remember.
Did you give up on your new job?
- Yes and I came here. / - You should take care of him.
That's when our talk began about reuniting as Turbo.
I told him, "Okay, decide quickly."
"I'll make a living somehow back in America."
I began to work part-time at a sushi restaurant.
A month passed by, and two months passed by
and three months passed.
I waited for 18 years
for Jongkook to call me.
We had to wait for a long time.
(They are about to film "Old Boy")
Stories of these two members of Turbo are very sad.
- It brings tears to my eyes. / - You should help them.
There's my side of the story, too.
When "Saturday, Saturday Is for Singers" was popular,
- I didn't want / - You didn't want to join the wave.
to do an album right away with the popularity.
- It would look cheap. / - That's right.
I wanted to prepare well.
Actually, after "Saturday, Saturday Is for Singers",
people kept on calling me asking,
"Why aren't you on TV again?"
But I was happily preparing
for our album with Jongkook at that time.
But people didn't know that.
People wanted to know why
I wasn't on variety shows.
I heard the same, too.
People said, "Why didn't you do the show?"
"You should've gone instead of him."
Jungnam heard, "Why don't you hold onto your chances?"
And Mikey heard, "Why didn't you go there yourself?"
When Jongkook first offered to reunite as Turbo,
I felt ashamed.
Because most people would think like this,
"He's trying to get a free ride"
"on top of Jongkook's popularity."
And that's what I thought it was like, too.
But Jongkook insisted
the three of us, including Mikey, release an album.
That's when my thoughts changed.
I decided that I wouldn't become a burden for him.
Let me tell you this.
Our group
- brings memories back to so many. / - You're right.
- Everyone has memories about Turbo. / - I didn't want
to rush it and ruin their memories.
And of course, some people still may think so.
But I wasn't sure if this could happen, either.
So I felt very cautious.
However, the moment I met with these two,
I decided that I needed to do this.
It was inevitable.
It wasn't something we can calculate and discuss over.
I said, "Let's do this."
(In 1995, this legendary group debuted)
(Turbo dominated the 1990s music scene)
(With their brilliant dances)
(And catchy tunes)
(And Turbo became a piece of memory)
(In all of our hearts)
(And the legend came back as a whole in the year 2016)
(Turbo became number one in the charts)
(Surpassing PSY and iKON)
The first leader of Turbo was Jungnam
and the second was...
- Was Jungnam the first leader? / - Yes, I was.
And you were the second leader.
Yes, I was.
- Why do you need a leader? / - What about the third?
- You were a duo. / - A leader was necessary.
- It's a must. / - What did the leader
have to do as a leader of Turbo?
Well, the leader would do
- all the interviews. / - I see.
Also, the leader was the one who got scolded.
It was like that back then.
I don't think he was scolded as a leader.
He just did many wrong things.
- Is that right? / - I barely did anything wrong.
- But he did. / - I heard a lot of stories, too.
- What kind of stories? / - They were about Jungnam.
People said, "Don't be like Jungnam."
What did I do?
Things like his ambition, I think.
- Being greedy, it seems. / - Yes, and
they told me to not go out too late at night.
We first debuted as a duo, right?
You'll probably see this on the videos.
When I rap, I rapped alone.
But when Jongkook sang, I always sang with him.
(When Jongkook sang,)
(Jungnam always sang with him)
It was the same for this music video, too.
It was my part to sing,
but he kept on singing along.
- Did he? / - Yes, he kept on doing it.
People don't usually sing others' parts.
Was there a reason?
I just hated that Jongkook had more parts.
- That was an honest answer. / - He's honest.
- He's honest. / - He really is.
He had way too many parts.
- Right. / - He does have too many parts.
We don't have much to do.
- For example, in "December", / - Yes.
I can do only a few things.
I'd just feel the beat.
- 'Can't you see' / - Yes.
I was never concerned about that before,
but it bothered me this time.
- It could. / - For filming as well as singing,
- I had too many parts. / - Okay.
I didn't want to be criticized for that.
There aren't many rap parts in any of Turbo's song.
We have 16-bar verses in our title song.
- You have to share that. / - We have to split it up.
How do you split such a small part?
It looked like you two were subtly
fighting for air time.
You two looked a bit awkward
as if you are competing.
We don't fight subtly anymore.
We say it directly to each other.
- When I go to the studio, / - Yes?
- I sometimes run into Jongkook. / - Sure.
If the three of us came together,
- we'd have to talk together, right? / - Yes.
But Jongkook and Mikey only talk in English,
so I just silently sit there.
I can't tell what they are talking about.
It's nothing special. I ask things like,
"Have you eaten?" or "Have you slept well?"
It's just a conversation.
Why would you say that in English?
- He's studying English. / - I'm trying to practice.
It's because Mikey is an English speaker.
Jongkook is studying English right now.
Both of you are rappers, right?
- But you have different styles. / - Yes.
Whose style do you think is more suited for Turbo?
Who is a better fit?
I definitely think
Jungnam's style works better with the group.
- You think? / - He's right. Yes.
I have to make an effort to rap in Turbo's songs.
I think that's because I was in the group first.
Because I can't rap the way Mikey did in "December".
If I had to differentiate between the two,
- it would be summer and winter rap. / - You're right.
Mikey's rap sounds warm, so he's the winter rapper.
- Yes, he is. / - His voice suits winter songs.
Yes, he's the winter rapper.
- I'm... / - You're the summer rapper.
You're suited to faster songs.
I like songs with strong beats.
- He sounds great when he shouts. / - You're right.
If I had to rap like him, I'd do this.
'If you are stressed out, try dancing like us'
But I usually rap in a higher tone.
'If you are stressed out, try dancing like us'
'Dance wildly to this rhythm'
- Is that your style? / - Yes, I like to shout.
In my case for "December", I just feel the groove.
You just feel the rhythm.
'The two of us used to come to this beach every winter'
'The cold wind and white waves'
It's like this.
If I had to rap that in my style, this happens.
'The two of us'
(Opening eyes widely)
What are you glaring at?
His eyes move with his voice.
Could you show us again
how the winter and summer versions of "December" go?
'The two of us used to'
'Dance wildly to this rhythm and shake your body'
(Glancing)
What are you doing?
Why do you sound so weird?
It sounded like he was just shouting.
It was fine.
- This is how... / - Calm down.
- All right, then. / - Wait.
- That's what my voice is like! / - Stop glaring.
- Stop glaring at him. / - He's really self-conscious.
- He is. / - Seriously.
Lee Haneul once came
to feature in one of our songs in Turbo's album.
He said, "You aren't a rapper,"
"so don't even dream about rapping."
He was hurt the entire time while Haneul was recording.
- That's when he became conscious. / - I see.
He glares at people as he raps.
- He was glaring too much. / - Seriously.
Many people love my voice.
- Of course! / - It's the best.
- We're not trying to hurt you. / - Of course.
I wonder if you all are physically strong enough
to be back as Turbo. Isn't your average age 40?
It's not about how strong we are,
- but our bodies aren't the same. / - Is that so?
Our joints are giving out.
Is that the case for you, too?
- It's bad. / - You work out a lot, though.
- I keep using my joints. / - Sure.
When we filmed music videos in the past,
we'd dance through the entire song on every scene.
- We'd take a rest and begin again. / - I see.
Then the producer would edit the parts.
But this time, we filmed bits and pieces as needed.
We just repeated certain parts.
- After the shooting, / - It's difficult.
our knees and back would hurt.
We repeated only certain parts,
but it still took 40 hours.
- That's a long time. / - It was tough.
Jungnam, did you suffer the most?
- No. / - Then, who did?
- Jongkook did. / - Really?
- He had the most parts. / - I did have many parts.
- He kept on filming. / - I did have many parts.
These guys only had the music video shoot at hand,
but I had other schedules.
And I had to go work again right afterwards.
But they never complained once
over the 40 hours of shooting without sleeping.
We don't usually get to see Jongkook
when we're working.
But Mikey and I recorded our rap parts together.
If we had to be there at six o'clock,
he'd be there by five o'clock.
This habit of his made me come earlier, too.
It was exciting to be recording again.
We'd get there early and talk about this and that.
It felt more awkward if we finished early.
It felt like we should be recording through the night.
I'd also think, "I'll have nothing to do"
"when I go home."
(These are precious moments for them)
I was really worried
because we've worked together before.
We had busy schedules back in the days.
We were all young. So when we were tired,
- we'd complain sometimes. / - Okay.
We've been through those times together.
I was worried because our schedule this time was very
tightly managed. I was afraid that would happen again.
- But they didn't complain. / - I didn't want to
because now that we have two rappers, you never know
when one of us will be gone.
- He lives under job insecurity. / - You're right.
- I should work hard. / - Cha Taehyun came to the shoot
and from the moment he walked in, he asked,
"Do you really need two rappers?"
He kept on asking to make fun of these two.
Turbo made a comeback as a trio,
but these two are in a different world.
I'm telling you.
- Seriously. / - When we first planned this,
we promised that these two would work as Turbo
- when I am too busy. / - Exactly.
Can any one of you cover Jongkook's singing parts?
We can use a guest singer for that.
- A guest singer? / - A guest singer?
Will you use a guest singer when Jongkook's not around?
We haven't discussed about this.
Find someone who looks like Jongkook.
You can go to a gym and find someone with small eyes.
Or you can find Jongkook's impersonator.
I think we are better off by ourselves.
- Why? / - I'd rather split the money in two.
- He'll have to split the money. / - Yes.
Lastly, I think you all have a new year's wish.
Jongkook, do you have any particular wish?
We never know when the opportunity will come.
I want to keep working hard.
I want to sing many songs in concerts
which I couldn't sing for 18 years.
- Of course. / - That's great.
Chaeyeon, what's your wish?
I've been working hard as a singer and an actress
and I've been on TV shows as well.
I'll work more diligently so that I could be seen
more often in Korea.
We hope to see you often, Chaeyeon.
Also, in 2016,
I'll make sure I find someone, too.
- All right. / - That was meaningful.
- That's awesome. / - I'll try my best.
What about you, Eunjung?
In 2016, I hope
we can come across a great song which could become
another T-ara's famous songs.
I had fun with all of you today.
In the year 2016, we will strive harder
to make all of you laugh.
- Happy New Year. Thank you! / - Happy New Year.
(See you next week!)
("Again" by Turbo, featuring Yu Jaeseok)