omonatheydid | Changmin's W Korea interview

It can be said that most men of around 23 years old carry the following characteristics: they act as though there is no tomorrow (irresponsible), they're arrogant and think that the world revolves around them, and when you're near them, their immaturity chills you to the bone. Most men in their early twenties are like that.

However, upon his arrival at the studio on a hot stuffy morning, we realized that Choikang Changmin is nothing like your typical 23 year old. Despite having to work early in the morning on a weekend, Changmin had a bright smile constantly on his face, and despite being quiet for the most part, he'd pull a funny face every now and then. He runs a mile whenever he hears a compliment, but will obediently come back at the command of the photographer. His behaviour is nothing like that of an undisciplined youngster, in fact, compared to other men of the same age, he comes off as a lot more mature. Through his grey t-shirt, we could vaguely make out a muscular body. Changmin said that he took up boxing recently to tone up his body, and unlike his manager, who gave up on it after a while, he always trains until he's completely drenched in sweat and utterly exhausted. As part of his work out, he's also been weight training, but when asked whether or not he ever gets tired, he said 'I'm kind of a masochist, I like to drain myself out and I'm always asking myself whether or not I'm doing well enough. I'm not the type of person to be lenient on himself.' In truth, his manliness seemed to come more from his tone and attitude than his physique.

Much like his appearance, Choikang Changmin has gone through great changes recently. His role in 'Paradise Ranch' is his first ever attempt at acting, and when asked why he decided to take part in the drama, he said 'I read the script and really liked it. My character is a completely perfect man, he's handsome and rich, yet kind of cheeky, and he's also really straightforward and honest about his own emotions. He's also a lot like me in the sense that we're both very impulsive. That was the reason he gave for his debut in acting. Having secured the lead role, Changmin expressed concerns about becoming an actor. Being in a TV drama means that one is not only faced with one's own fans, but also other audiences, and this, he thought, was a bit of a burden. He was actually really anxious and worried that he'd become a burden for the production team and the other actors. Changmin repeated several times that 'Having been part of a group for 7 years, I feel like being able to take care of those around me is the most important thing. I'll learn to be humble so that people won't be put off. Through acting, I've come to realize that I'm really not very good at expressing my emotions, so I've given the crew quite a hard time. When you're filming with other actors, you really have to get your breathing in synch with them to get into the scene. It's especially difficult to me since I have the lead role.'

7 years as a singer. The past 7 years have not been what one would call 'normal'. Throughout the 7 years, most of his time has either been spent practising in the studio or on stage. When asked whether or not debuting at such a young age has tired him out, he replied 'I don't know whether or not it's because of my profession, but whenever it rains, my knees get cold.' ''When people used to ask me what I wanted to eat, I'd never know how to answer, and when people say they want to go and eat, I'll just tag along because I'm kind of an indecisive person like that. But since getting into this profession, compared to age, I think I've become more conscious of what I want for myself.' Having to fight for survival at such a young age made working a thrill of excitement. Throughout the photoshoot, he put on 6 different sets of clothes, transforming from a boy to a man, or perhaps he's a bit of both. On the other hand, if one were to see him as a boy, one would also have to admit that he demonstrates the traits of a grown man. When asked what type of clothing he liked best, Changmin chose the set that appeared most out of the norm. 'Once when I was walking down a road, I saw a man whose face was completely covered with facial hair. I actually thought it looked okay, it's not that I want to dress like that, I don't think it's time yet. Maybe it's because my career kicked off when I was so young, I feel like I have to be more mature than other people my age. Of course, it's not like I'm going to turn into that right away, but I want to slowly work towards that.'

That day, when we were on a break from the photoshoot, he was practising the dance moves to a song he was going to perform at SMTown Live. Even though it's been 2 whole years since he's been on that stage (SMTown), we could see the excitement and anxiety on his face at the mention of the event. Would his performance be a lot different from how it was 7 years ago? 'When I first started, I always put my biggest effort to prepare so that I wouldn't make mistakes in front of my audience. Outside of that, I didn't really have much time to think about anything else. Most of the time, I walk off the stage and watch people's reactions from a video recorder. However, I've slowly learnt to perform on stage according to my own time and rhythm, and to consider whether or not I would able to improvise when it is needed. It's not about my own performance, it's also about the audience's reaction and everything else happening around the stage. You have to pay attention to all of it.'

Besides being able to act natural on stage, it's also important to be able to calmly answer questions regarding women and relationships. When asked 'Is a girl's appearance 97% more important? Nearly 99.9% would say yes, but Changmin said 'That's not really true. Appearance isn't important, what's important is that they have a kind heart. Even though that's not all of it, it's what I really want. I like girls who are innocent, smart and charming, and who will be able to understand and accept what I do for a living.' Since we were on the topic of girls, we decided to ask a few more questions. He has a preference for girls who are sporty and energetic because he himself is a sporty person. He also said that he wants to watch baseball with her whilst drinking beer. And so, in a very comfortable and relaxed manner, Changmin expressed his views on love and relationships. With regards to his first love, he said he's had a lot of struggle. He's made a real effort to get closer to the other party, but up until now, he'll still hear talk of how he's a bad man. Changmin very honestly confessed that even though he really wants to take good care of her, he's had a really hard time actually achieving it. The atmosphere got a little tense when we were talking about girls and relationships, yet the singer who's been working in this industry for 7 years now managed to keep a calm smile on his face whilst still exposing his youthful side through talk of his favourite baseball team's recent game, and this lasted all the way until 12am.

At the beginning of the interview, we asked what he's been working on recently, and he replied 'An answer like this might make people think I'm lying, but I've been really into bands lately, and I've always wanted to learn more about that genre of music. Even though I've been learning to play the guitar on and off for quite some time now, there are other things that I'm also really curious about.'

Towards the end of the interview, I asked how he's been lately and what the present means to him, to which he said 'To be honest, in the past 6-7 years, I've never been in a situation like this where I don't have any actual official activities, so I've really had to adjust to the change in my lifestyle. But this is great too, because I now have time to do all the things I didn't have time for before and I can live happily. People used to think of me as a really sentimental person, but now I want to learn to express myself through language as well as music and dance. This is a really crucial period for me. Everything I'm doing now is to help myself advance and move forward.' Changmin's answer was just as I'd expected. Under normal circumstances, I'd probably badger him endlessly and make him tell me the things that are hidden deep down his heart rather than talk about things like this under such controlled conditions. But this is different, Changmin is no longer a boy, he's grown into a real man, and good evidence of this can be found not only from his muscular body, but also the determination and confidence exuded through his speech.

Credits: TVXQBaidu + W Korea September Issue
Trans by: dorfehh@DBSKnights

IMPORTANT POINTS FOR THOSE WHO CAN'T BE BOTHERED OR TO MAKE YOU EVEN MORE INTRIGUED

1. Changmin wore a grey shirt that showed off his muscular body.
2. Changmin likes to box. Till he's drenched in sweat.
3. Changmin is a MASOCHIST.
4. Changmin finds it hard to express his emotions, hereby confirming rumours that he's a robot.
5. Changmin is "kind of indecisive".
6. Changmin would like to grow out facial hair, but now is not the time.
7. Changmin would like a girl with a kind heart.
8. Even better if she drinks beer and watches ~~basketball~~ BASEBALL GDI with him.
9. SOME STRANGER BTICH DIDN'T CHERISH HIM.
10. Changmin feels weird that there's no "official activities" but is happy because he can #dowhathewants