[TRANS] Tenasia Interview - Chansung

2PM Chansung’s ‘Real Time’ Started Flowing (Interview Part 1)

Chansung is a man who wants to run slowly and steadily. He never thought either about running ahead of 2PM’s popularity or about passing the basic course with a free-ride using his title of an ‘idol’. Chansung is only running without putting energy but with sincerity. He has been in a clear demeanor for music and acting while running these past 1-2 years. Now the young man who has been running while looking what lies in the future, will now stop and look into what he exactly wants. Chansung’s real time started flowing.

Q. An interview right after you came back from attending ‘Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA)’ held in Hongkong. 2PM World Tour was also overlapping with your movie promotion. Have you ever thought that you’d become a man in your 20 having such a busy schedule.

Chansung: Absolutely no. (laughs) I couldn’t predict it at all.

Q. What is this current busy schedule for. An investment for your future? A work you enjoy doing? Or just something you eventually have to do because it is a schedule?

Chansung: I think everything of my schedule does have its meaning. It’d be hard for you if only work your body without such a thought. And also, I’m able to concentrate more on the work given to me by thinking ‘To be doing this kind of job is the goal of my life’.

Q. Does that mean you have now felt like ‘A career as a singer is the path I have to walk on’?

Chansung: It would be more exact to put that kind of thought in more definite words. I’ve debuted for 9 years. (7 years as 2PM) I have encountered many problems in that 9 years. My thoughts turned negative whenever it’s hard on me. Sometimes when I felt sorry to the staff, I would think ‘Do these people really care for me?’ At certain moment, I did realize that those thoughts are useless. But rather than negative thoughts, I would address them as poison that gnaw at me. After I realized that they brought negative influences to my mind, my point-of-view on things would change.

Q. Even when you realize that those negative thoughts are useless, it won’t be easy to change them. How did you start changing them.

Chansung: There is a psychology teacher who gives mental care at the company. Everyone in JYP starting from trainees to employees receive mental care as compensation but I’m originally an optimistic person. On the day when I met the teacher for the first time, he gave a checked mark on the self-diagnosis for mental health checklist. After I saw it, our conversation went “You’re happy eventhough you’re working right?” “Yes” “No discontent right?” “Yes” “You don’t need any particular mental care, and you seem to be interested in psychology so let’s study together”. Since then, I started learning psychology with him. It has been 3 years since then.

Q. I wonder if you’re interested in psychology because you’re curious about other people’s mental state, or because you want to know your own.

Chansung: Both of them. I usually have many things I question about myself. Worries like ‘Why did I act like that?’ ‘Why did I have such thought then?’ came to me periodically. At such time, I’d listen to the teacher’s advice, read the book he recommeded and my tangle thoughts would be settled.

Q. Do you also feel a bit comfortable about other people too? Like figuring the mental state of others.

Chansung: I’m not able to see through others’ state of mind just yet. But, I’m able to understand deeper. For example, let’s say there is this someone who does a very particular action. Then I’d think ‘That person will also get recognition through that action’

Q. You said that thinking ‘This career is a path I have to walk on’ won’t get you more than 1 or 2 years so I wonder was there a possibility for you to have a different job before.

Chansung: I didn’t have such thought at all. It’s like I was just working hard. Now is different. My attitude toward my job have become more set.

Q. Acting is also there on your path and actually you became an actor before a singer.

Chansung: True. I was in ‘Unstoppable Highkick’.

Q. In recent 2 months, you appeared in two movies, ‘Red Carpet’ and ‘Deoksuri 5 Brothers’. Before the interest died down for one movie, another one had already been released, I think that could be either unfortunate or on the contrary, aggressively good. Which one is it.

Chansung: I filmed for ‘Red Carpet’ in late summer right after I was finished with ‘7th Grade Civil Servant’ (2013). Not long after, I started filming for ‘Deoksuri 5 Brothers’. I actually didn’t know that the release of these two movies would be so close to each other. With the releases were postponed I thought none of them would be released this year. I feel relieved as both of them were released like this.

Q. You acted as Daeyoon, a maknae of the staff for an erotic movie filming site in ‘Red Carpet’ while you acted as Soogeun, the 4th brother who knows nothing about giving up in ‘Deoksuri 5 Brothers’. Both of the characters have comical and clumsy sides. Did you personally consider about what to do to show the differences between the two characters.

Chansung: It was something I paid attention to. Because people might think ‘That guy has a similar acting tone’. I think I’d be upset if I hear those, it’s like when the people around me can’t talk openly about the lacking of my acting. (laughs) I’m trying to get a precise feedback.

Q. If you are to choose between ‘Something that you like’ and ‘Something that you do well’, which one will you choose.

Chansung: It would be good if I can choose both of them, but if I really have to choose one out, it’d be ‘Something that I do well’. It depends. There is a difference between something that I do well due to others’ help and something that I do well because of my own self. If it is something that I do well on my own, then I will chose it. It would be better to choose something that I like, like a hobby in this case.

Q. Such a clear answer. Is acting ‘something that you like’ or ‘something that you do well’?

Chansung: Acting is something that I like, and want to do. I still don’t know yet whether I’m good at it. (laughs)

Q. Are you a person who has a lot of greed (of things to achieve).

Chansung: I have a lot of greed but have no ambition  to win.

Q. Seems like an important point. Why don’t you have the ambition to win.

Chansung: This might be a continuation from the previous story but, I’ve realized that thoughts of ‘I have to do better than anyone else, I also have to get a great result’ will ony destroy me. I’m not the only one who works hard, everyone else also gives their best in their own way so I wonder if it’s right to say I’d win with such burning fire in my eyes. And actually, effort can’t always be measured from the result.

Q. That... That is right. It can’t always be measured from the result.

Chansung: There is no guarantee that I’ll be successful even I say I will work really hard for it. Of course I do work hard in every single moment. It only means that I don’t give expectation to the result.

Q. Don’t you realize things too quickly? You’ve achieved such enlightenment at the age of 25. (laughs)

Chansung: Oh! I wonder if it’s really so. (laughs)

Q. Looking at you psychologically, you are healthy. You realized things that won’t work out no matter how hard you work for it.

Chansung: I will have to acknowledge it.

Q. If someone acknowledges it, won’t he change?

Chansung: I think he will. Be it actor, singer, or painter, all of them are professions which show themselves with ‘I am this kind of person’ through their own colors. They’ll shine the most when other people finally understand those colors of theirs and I think once they think that time of their life won’t come, they’ll only get discouraged and their talents will only get spoiled.

Q. Anyways, entertainment world is a place that requires you to have that ambition to win.

Chansung: True. People will surely arouse the excitement. (laughs) It is important to stay firm/unshaken.

Q. How were you before becoming a singer.

Chansung: I did Taekwondo. I also did a bit of fencing. I had no exact dream when I was young. Why wasn’t I asked to write my dream down when I was in elementary school. I had never written down what I really wanted to be back then. When my friends said, “I will become a President!” then I’d go “Me too, President!”, if my friends wrote “I will become a scientist” then I’d follow them and write “Me too, scientist”.  Wasn’t it weird to dream about being a president or a scientist when I was still young?

Q. That sure is the negative influence of learning by rote. 

Chansung: I couldn’t even think that it’s weird back then, but now I wonder if I was. (laughs)

Q. You’re the maknae of the team. There are two common types of maknae. One who openly acts like a real maknae or in the contrary, one who acts mature in purpose because he doesn’t want to be treated as a maknae. Which one do you think you are.

Chansung: I think I’m none of them. Our team atmosphere is more like friends. Minjun (Jun. K)/Taecyeon/Khun hyung never said anything like “You should suit yourself because I’m the hyung”. We, the maknaes, never said things like “Since I’m the younger~” too. Of course, we are polite to each other. We are getting along as friends while maintaining a clear line. (laughs)

Met 2PM Chansung at 2 o’clock (Interview Part 2)

Q. Are 2PM’s members living together in a dorm even now?

Chansung: No. Last year, Minjun hyung started by leaving the dorm, followed by Wooyoung and Taecyeon hyung. After that, Khun  hyung, Junho and I stayed and lived together but not long ago, Khun hyung also left. I recalled Junho’s also looking for a house. I had never thought about living alone until the enlistment, but now I’m unwillingly in the middle of looking for a house too.

Q: As the members have more individual activities, your expectations and concerns about independent living seems to intertwine.

Chansung: It's a lot different from when we all lived together. The longer you spend time alone, the more your thoughts will be. Because I was very curious, I asked Minjun hyung, "How does it feel living alone?" Hyung replied to me, "Too lonely, too lonely. Come live with hyung." (laughs)

Q. Are you a person who is sensitive about being lonely.

Chansung: I’ve never lived alone so I thik it will be really great to be alone. I’ve never thought about needing time to spend with the others, and felt the need to have the time to spend by myself instead. Though I don’t know if that will change once I live alone.

Q. You also participated in the making of 2PM 4th Album ‘Go Crazy’.

Chansung: I’ve started learning to compose songs this year. It was fun but till now I’m still joined with a composer hyung. I’m so into learning to compose songs that I still do it even the situation doesn’t let me. My mental strength is so stong and voluminous that I wish I can do various things (at once) like an octopus, but I can’t.

Q. It must be a different feeling between when the songs you composed ‘Boyfriend’,‘The Word Love’, etc were revealed for the first time and when your movie was shown for the first time.

Chansung: It is really different. In the case of songs, the feeling went by so quickly. Because the songs I made are only one or two of the songs which are sung at our concerts. (laughs) Though I wonder if that will change when I compose more and more songs which can fill the concerts more.

Q. You want to make songs until only the songs you compose will fill the concerts someday.

Chansung: I always think I want to do my own music.

Q. If you are to release a solo album, what will be the mood of it.

Chansung: I think it won’t be an excited one. I want to fill it with a lot of relaxing songs.

Q.  Perhaps, do you think people misunderstand yourself due to that side of you shown through TV or mass communication?

Chansung: Well. I’m not too keen of finding things out. Though I do want to clear things up when people curse at me because they misunderstand me due to an editted broadcast. Fortunately, there has been such problem until now.

Q. Then on the contrary, have you ever thought like ‘This kind of misunderstanding isn’t that bad’.

Chansung: Eum... Rather than that, I hope people won’t see me as a quiet and grave person.

Q. Do you think people see you as one.

Chansung: Not everyone like that. But there are many people who are older than me and those people are like “Aigoo~ Our Chansungie, ujjujju~”. (laughs) They look over me, eventhough it is a bad point.

Q. Your weakness that can’t be cured?

Chansung: I’m a bit absent-minded. I also forget about things easily.

Q. We know that you really work hard in working out. Are you obsessive about body building. When you look at men with great bodies, they seem to be like that.

Chansung: I think I am. When I see a picture of me and see that I gained weight, I’ll get annoyed. That’s why I’m trying to maintain it but I recently gained much weight after coming back from the U.S. I am 78kg when I lose weight, and I’m 80kg normally. But, when I recently measured my weight, I was shocked because I weighed 84.5kg! I then worked out so much and measured it again the next day, turned out I lost 1kg. When I asked “What is this?”, I was told that the 1kg I lost was water and the swelling.

Q. 2PM gained popularity through the macho/sexy/beastly idols image anyway. How do you feel about the word ‘sexy’?

Chansung: There are times... when I’m sexy right...? Hahaha. There should be the time. Like when I’m with a woman, or stuff... Haha

Q. Should this be more specific? Since it’s important to know when yourself is sexy.

Chansung: I don’t make sexy appeals intentionally. But I wonder if the atmosphere must be what draws out such a nuance.

Q. What do you think a group called 2PM’s impact on you.

Chansung: Very huge. They are the world and the universe to me. My view of the world, of course, is formed from what I learn by seeing but everything I get to savor in my life is brought by 2PM. At that rate, I can say that 2PM is everything I live for. Sure I have my personal life but being a member of 2PM is a huge thing for me.

Q. So what do you think a group called 2PM’s impact on you.

Chansung: What I think is our current team now exists because not only me, but all of the members fill each other’s gap as part of 2PM. I see the secret of a group to remain together for a long time lies on how much the members trust each other. That’s why we talk a lot with each other. If there is a problem, someone will throw it in. We don’t discuss it immediately. When it comes the time to observe the situation objectively, one person will do it. He will say “Let’s talk later” and then everyone will get nervous, while wondering “What did I do wrong again?” (laughs) Then, everyone will gather after having prepared to listen. When we gather, our conversation will go like this “It was wrong to say such things in a place with so many people around” “I’m sorry, I will fix it” “Although it was also my fault, it happened because of you too so acknowledge it” “Fine, it was my fault”.

Q. You were cast in an audition program called SBS ‘Superstar Survival’ (2006) before you debuted. Audition programs are such a trend nowadays so how is it to see the recent competitions, as a senior who had experienced it first hand.

Chansung: Hmm... To be honest, I wish I hadn’t joined the program. Of course, there are also many things that come from it, since you’re given a chance to show off your talent, to get recognized, to stand on the stage and to be able to debut and work afterward. My only worry is, the afterward of receiving such interest from people. There are numerous cases of singers who can’t get public interest as much as they get during their debut. When making your own music, you can’t really know whether the public will like it or not. Above anything else, very young age is what catch everyone the most. It will be a relieve if you can meet someone who is able to lead your talent properly but that is not a chance everyone can get. In a young age, someone is truly young when he takes words as they are. Should I call it as the burden of the work. It is not easy to overcome such burden. It would be good to lead forward with a mind that has gotten stronger from all those curses you get while working, but such probability is small. I feel sorry for those getting hurt from being too innocent.

Q. You debuted at the age of 18. Do you feel that you’re young at that time?

Chansung: Indeed. I do think I debuted as a young kid.

Q. With such story... Did you have a certain sense of loss.

Chansung: I have my regret. Anyone makes mistakes in life. Before I debuted, I would be able to work hard while learning from the mistakes I committed but after debut, it would be a blow to my next work for making mistakes. Although you can commit a mistake because of your young age, the general public won’t forgive that. That is because you receive unearned love more than anyone else. So it is important to be prepared. Although it is important to prepare your skill and ability, it would be good to work with enough-practiced toughness to bear such a burden.

Q. What have you been fighting.

Chansung: That my actions turn into gossip and people enjoy laughing at them. Nowadays, I just let it be. But it was certainly a great stress for me back then. It didn’t change that easy. Ah, I don’t know whether I’m talking nonsense or not. This is like a futile interference from a person who has experienced it before.

Q. No. It is an important story, rightful words too. If you can use a time machine, will you still enter the entertainment world at an early age?

Chansung: I won’t.  Rather than that, I think I’d prepare myself more. While studying hard at school.

Q. If it’s so, then there is a possiblity that you’re not in 2PM. Right at this moment.

Chansung: Hmm. There is such a possibility. Nevertheless, it will be better. My teachers said this to me when I was in ‘Unstoppable Highkick’. “Seems like you debuted too early. You still have many things to experience, how unfortunate!” I didn’t know what that meant back then, but now I think I do.

Q. But you enjoy all the things that others can’t experience like you can in 2PM.

 
Chansung: I know. That’s why it is a precious thing to me. Looking at my schedule, it is all packed until I have to enlist. Holding concerts in Japan, releasing albums in Korea, having my solo activity... There is no way for me to slip. (laughs) But that is also a blessing for me. I’m greatly thankful to have time to work actively, to have many people looking for me. Also the concerts, the broadcasts, and the movies I’m in. I believe I’m building up great experiences.

Q. Not much time left for this year. When you look back at ‘Chansung’ in 2014, how many points out 10 will you give?

Chansung: 8 points?

Q. It is rather high.

Chansung: I was working that hard, it’d be a waste if I only gave like 5 points. (laughs)

original articles part 1 part 2

Translation by @nuneo2daKAY and @junhoempress