[INTERVIEW] Boy band MBLAQ - Part 3

10: G.O., how did you get to become a member of MBLAQ?
G.O.: I released an album in 2007. However, the company that I was with went bankrupt and the C.E.O was imprisoned for fraud. At the time I was still in high school and I had come all the way from Changwon Province to Seoul alone to become a singer and without knowing anything, I had just grabbed at the chance thinking it was an opportunity. Then I looked for a company that was trustworthy. I put a large part of my trust in J.Tune because they had a singer like Rain.

10: You once sang a song by Maroon 5 before. What style of music would you like to do if you had a solo career?
G.O.: When I was in high school I was in a rock band so I really enjoy rock music. But I also enjoy ballads by Kim Bum-soo and “Wild Flower” by R&B group Color Me Bad. They're the kind of songs that you want to listen to over and over again because the arrangement is so unique.

10: Mir, what kind of work would you like to do if you weren't part of MBLAQ?
Mir: I have thought about that a lot. On what I should do if I was put in the situation to quit my job as an idol...

10: But you guys have just released your second mini-album. (laugh)
Mir: I'm worried about that already.
G.O.: That's because you forgot the determination you had when you first debuted!
Cheon Dung: I'm gonna go solo for the next album! (laugh)
Mir: Hahahahahaha. Anyway, I had thought a lot about what I want to do. And with my brother-in-law being the C.E.O. of the company (laugh) I somehow found myself having fun doing management work on the computer. I should look at how the company is doing and maybe take on managerment...
MBLAQ: (laugh) It's not managerment, it's management!
Mir: Oh yeah, management! I would like to start a business. Everyone has exceptional talents and maybe Cheon Dung could do the producing. After thinking about what I wanted to do, I told the C.E.O. that I would like to try management. In the future, I would like carry out business in a company just like my seniors.

10: So then you will probably get to manage the members of MBLAQ? (laugh)
Seung Ho: Turn the sorrow felt by the youngest member to us...Haha. The team manager and director said they would hire me as an employee if things didn't go as planned for MBLAQ.

10: Why?
Seung Ho: First of all, we were a new company that was run by few people. That's why we only have one person on the team that discovers new talent. It would be great if that person could only take care of just us but that person works for Rain as well. That's why we sometimes have to do all the work such as filling up the practice room with water bottles. Because I like working with machines, I also fix any electrical problems and directly call the teacher for lessons. And before we made our debut, I would be the one driving everyone around like when going to gym.

10: Haha. So Seung Ho, do you also have interest in management?
Seung Ho: No, because personality-wise I don't think I'm the kind of person who can teach or manage others. I will probably get mad and explode if I'm frustrated while I'm teaching someone. But I would like be a producer.

10: Seung Ho, in the cable channel MBCevery1's reality program "Idol Show" it seems that instead of concentrating on one thing, you try to find equilibrium. As if you look at the whole situation.
Seung Ho: I adjust to situations as it happens.

10: You guys seem like a team that has a lot of independent thoughts. Do you think it has anything to do with the company's atmosphere? You guys are the only idols in the company and you don't get many chances of becoming close with other idols.
G.O.: I think that it has a lot to with it. Our company is very family-oriented and there is much time for us to talk together starting with the fact that we live together. That's why we have lots of meetings regarding our performances or variety shows.

10: Doesn't it sometimes feel stifling to constantly have to be with your team and meet only company people?
Joon: It can be at times but we don't have much time to concentrate on other things because of our busy schedule. Also we love to sleep. When we go home we go to sleep without talking with each other. I am satisfied with that.

10: So what would you guys do if you were given a weeks break?
MBLAQ: WOW!
Joon: Rain said that we can sleep when we die. (laugh) So I will die and just sleep as if I'm on sleeping pills.
Seung Ho: I want to go somewhere fun with the other members. I would like to go to the beach or a small hotel, a hotel in the countryside just for us. It can be at the corner or the foot of a mountain. I don't think we ever went anywhere fun with each other.
Cheon Dung: I think I would just practice if I was given spare time. I will probably write songs.
MBLAQ: Oh...that is just wrong.
Cheon Dung: I want to do it more now that you tell me not to. (laugh)
Seung Ho: Ah, I think Mir would go to his hometown, Jangseong.
Mir: Of course. I think if we were really given time off, we wouldn't go anywhere together as a group. We would all say our goodbyes, say we will call each other and meet up a week later. Maybe that is what's best for the team. I think that is our team. (laugh)

10: You recently had an autograph signing session. Are there any fans you remember in particular?
Seung Ho: There are a couple of people we see often at the autograph sessions. Even though we've seen them several times we are really thankful because they still cherish each one of our autographs.
Joon: There is a website that badmouths us. They're actually our fans but they insult us. (laugh) They would criticize us if we do well and swear more if we do badly. I think they get their fun out of it. Those people came to the autograph session and they mentioned which website they were with. When I saw them they looked like people who would never say a bad word and looked very studious. That's why they are so memorable.
Seung Ho: I have fun visiting that website. I don't know if they are my biggest fan but they must have really like my hair when it was up. They first insulted our stylist when I got my hairstyle changed and wrote a message saying that the old me should come back. (laugh)

10: Seung Ho, it seems that you are attentive to your fans responses. Didn't you respond to a fan who asked for help in using a printer on your Twitter page? (laugh)
Seung Ho: I don't usually reply to the messages the fans write. There are a lot of the same questions and many UFO text messages [text messages in which the stars reply back to it themselves]. But I felt like I just had to answer that question.

10: You are known as the first-ever 'After Service Idol.' (laugh) You mentioned before about becoming an engineering student if you weren't a singer.
Seung Ho: Yes, because I have a lot of interest in machines. I remember a long time ago I was kicked out of the house for breaking apart the computer [because they were really expensive then]. I've become better at restraining myself with everything else but machines as I grow older.

10: Seung Ho, watching you play the piano on TV was surprising. When did you begin playing?
Seung Ho: I look like someone who wouldn't play the piano (laugh) but I've been learning to play it for about ten years now. Lately, I haven't played the piano and I wanted to show the audience after I re-started playing it and it was also embarrassing because I didn't even practice properly. I began to learn to play the piano again after that performance.

10: What machines have you been interested in lately?
Seung Ho: Ah. I already have everything. All I need now is the Mac Pro. (laugh)

10: Last year you said you have no particular reason to buy an iPhone.
Seung Ho: Now I have both the iPhone and a Blackberry. (laugh)

10: Since you love machines, do you give such electronic machines as gifts too? (laugh) I heard that you told Joon to play games at least one hour a day after you gave him a game console.
Seung Ho: I didn't buy it for him but instead gave him one of mine because I had so many and it seemed like Joon really wanted one.

10: Does he still make you play it at least one hour a day?
Joon: No, I don't think I can. It has caused much conflict.
Seung Ho: That's why I reduced it to 30 minutes.
Joon: I think it was yesterday or the day before where he had a really angry look on his face and was telling me to play games (laugh) and he didn't go to sleep until I did.
Seung Ho: I usually sleep early but I haven't been able to get much sleep because I'm making sure he plays games. (laugh) He can play any game he likes just as long he plays it.

Senior Reporter : Kang Myoung-Seok two@
Reporter : Choi Ji-Eun five@
Photographer : Chae ki-won ten@
Editor : Lucia Hong luciahong@, Lee Ji-Hye seven@