There are K-Pop fans across the globe who share the same passion. But on online platforms, it is hard to know about each other’ stories and K-Pop life. Even if we are in the same fandom, it is hard to get to know each other. So at Kpopmap, we started the Kpopmap Fan Interview Project to get to know more about K-Pop fans from different countries: more about their K-Pop life and tastes and to give them the opportunity to share with our readers about their favorite group(s) and bias. A fan of Kim JongHyeon (former NU’EST) is the next fan to answer our questions. Check out how she entered the fandom, the songs and content she advises to new fans, and much more! Tell us about yourself. How and when did you become a fan of Kim JongHyeon? I’m an ordinary fangirl who likes to keep things private but with this opportunity I want to share about my journey in stanning Kim JongHyeon. It all started in 2017. I was never really into K-Pop before. I was just a casual listener. I knew some well-known singers or groups but never really dug into their details. Until my friend shared me a link to “Produce 101” season 2 performance. The Justice League team immediately became my favorite team at that time, and especially their humble leader Kim JongHyeon. Kim JongHyeon has a unique charm. At first he seemed calm, awkward, a little shy, but apparently he’s very hardworking, brilliant and passionate in his work. I admire how he’s never thirsty for the spotlight. He’s good looking but he’s so lowkey about it and that’s what makes him more attractive. He’s always humble, chill and quietly guiding his teammates to reach the goal. At that time, I fell hard for Kim JongHyeon’s leadership style which was stern but also very nurturing at the same time. He always encouraged his teammates. He helped the weaker and he cared for their growth together as a team more than what benefit they might bring for him. He also never blamed anyone, instead he always protected and took the bullet for the team. I think those sides of him are very admirable. Then while following the “Produce 101” show I also checked the previous contents from NU’EST VLIVE and YouTube channel. That’s when I found out more about Kim JongHyeon and his group at that time, NU’EST, so eventually I became a new fan of the group too. Their friendship was beautiful and their struggle in the past was very moving. Because this life is hard for us all, sometimes I feel relatable to people’s struggle more than just their success because I think there’s beauty in the process. Kim JongHyeon as NU’EST leader really showed what good leadership was in that process. He’s fair, not dominating and loyal. He’s the type of leader who guides his teammates from the back. On friendly casual occasions, he is laid back, a bit mischievous, and doesn’t want to stand out from the crowd. But during critical, important situations he takes the front position and protects his team. He is that one reliable friend, brother and leader we all wish to have around us. Although in the end, NU’EST didn’t last forever like I always hoped for due to the unfortunate circumstances with their former agency. But the way the members endured, survived and finally managed to revive the group and became the reversal icon in K-Pop history will remain amazing to me. It’s a memory I will always cherish. Now after NU’EST has wrapped up their activities as a group in March 2022, Kim JongHyeon begins his new chapter as solo musician and actor with Evermore Entertainment from May 2022. With my sincerity as a loyal fan, I also decided to keep walking with JongHyeon to cheer on his new journey. What are the reasons why you love Kim JongHyeon? Kim JongHyeon has a unique charm that is full of surprises. First, he can be very cute, funny and endearing like a puppy. Even though he’s always picked as the leader, he still has that youngest brother vibe on him. Maybe because JongHyeon is the youngest of three siblings in his family too (he has two sisters who are 3 and 6 years older than him). But on the other side, Kim JongHyeon can also be very cool and charismatic. He is persistent, detail-oriented, and observant. He becomes very serious and professional when it comes to his work. In dancing, performing, acting, or variety shows, he always gives his best. I also love his mischievous and four-dimensional side. Sometimes he does questionable stuff because he has his own way of creative thinking and it is very adorable. -4D JongHyeon spinning around by himself in a Yoga class- Beside all the fun, JongHyeon can also be mellow, lonely and all absorbed in his thoughts sometimes. To me he is an interesting celebrity with so many layers. There’s never a boring day in knowing different sides of Kim JongHyeon. From my point of view as a fan, JongHyeon is unyielding and trustworthy. He is a man of his word. We can trust everything he says because he usually doesn’t lead on or give empty promises. Everything he does or says is always sincere, thoughtful, and after a process of careful consideration. I think it gives a sense of safety and a heartwarming feeling to cheer for someone with a reliable personality like Kim JongHyeon. Any song from JongHyeon or NU’EST that caught your attention at first and why? NU’EST’s song ‘Love Paint’ will always be my all-time favorite. The song is easy listening but with an artistic majestic feeling that gives me strength when I’m tired, and also the lyrics are very gorgeous. It’s a classy love song that uses art as metaphor. All NU’EST members were involved in the making of this music which makes me so proud because I adore good friendship and teamwork. I can feel all the efforts and sincerity they poured into this song. NU’EST - ‘Love Paint’ MV, one of their masterpieces “You shine on my entire world. I want to walk with you during your days. The night sky is colored with you. It creates a painting with only you and me.” - Jonghyeon’s rap verse from NU’EST - ‘Love Paint’ Can you recommend another track for new fans? Please enjoy JongHyeon’s passionate approach on choreography and performance in his solo track titled ‘DOOM DOOM’. It’s an upbeat song to boost your spirit when you feel down. It might sound chaotic at first, but once you get to know the meaning and the concept of this song, it will become addictive because this song has its own layers of charms. JongHyeon was involved as arranger and lyricist for ‘Doom Doom’. He arranged the song with the stage performance in mind. He also wrote the lyrics based on his own experience about how to challenge himself to get out of a mundane routine so he can face the next chapter of his life with a renewed spirit. In addition to rap and dance, JongHyeon also can play some music instruments like drum, bass and he’s also learning piano now. You can check JongHyeon’s professional drum performance here: Can you share with us one of your favorite lyrics? JongHyeon is a talented lyricist who is also eloquent in public speech. He’s good with metaphors and when he writes his lyrics, he tries to think from other people’s point of view too, which makes his lyrics feel relatable and make sense. But sometimes it also feels like he hides his secret messages in his lyrics as they are the reflection of his soul and emotions. Here are some of my favorites from his solo tracks: “I couldn’t even look at myself in the mirror. I couldn’t take a step out of the door because of my fear. I was like a lone boat floating in the middle of the sea. But from now on, let me become the wind and push you forward. I will believe in you, just like you did for me. You can forget all the pain from the past. Now let us walk together. Let’s fly, so we can shine.” - NU’EST W (JR / Kim JongHyeon solo) – ‘WITH’ “The seasons might pass by, but I will not crumble. Because if my world is dark, I will colour it with my own light.”. - NU’EST W (JR / Kim JongHyeon solo) – ‘I HATE YOU’ a verse from JongHyeon (JR) solo - ‘Doom Doom’ Since Kim JongHyeon is also acting, do you have an all-time favorite scene? Can you describe it or share a video? As a new aspiring actor, Kim JongHyeon is versatile and uniquely charming. He has great potential with good sense in acting. He’s able to translate a character into natural body language and a flavorful range of emotions. In this acting field that is relatively new to him, JongHyeon always shows his strong commitment and a humble rookie mindset to keep improving on various skills. I really look forward to see him in more productions. In his debut drama on SBS “Let Me Be Your Knight”, JongHyeon played a mischievous bassist named Lee Shin with an intriguing secret love story. I especially like his scene with Jung InSun (as In Yoonjo) when she caught Lee Shin sneaking back into the dorm at midnight after a secret rendezvous with his girlfriend.
— 뿌우기 (@BBOOGI02) November 21, 2021 In the scene above Kim JongHyeon portrayed how sneaky Lee Shin can be as a person while he was negotiating a deal with In YoonJo to keep each other’s secret. JongHyeon shared adorable frenemy chemistry with actress Jung InSun while showing various tricky emotions from mischievous, restrained annoyance, even to the subtle intimidating and deceitful side of Lee Shin. It’s so rich in flavors. Also, I love Kim JongHyeon & Shin HaYoung (as Lee Shin & Chae JiYeon) passionate chemistry during their kiss scene in episode 6 that also created quite a buzz among drama fans in online communities.
— 뿌우기 (@BBOOGI02) December 12, 2021
- The heart-fluttering kiss between Kim JongHyeon & Shin HaYoung- In the drama, Lee Shin and Chae Jiyeon’s innocent relationship was mistakenly seen as a scandal by the public and people around them because of their status. Since Chae Jiyeon wanted to protect Lee Shin, she restrained herself from seeing Lee Shin and she started to build a ‘wall’ between them, even though deep down they’re still madly in love with each other. However, that wall finally crumbled after an earnest gaze from Lee Shin as they shared one honest kiss. 👏
A post shared by free fall` (@golden_drams) -a fan-edit video of the kiss scene has 2.4M views on Instagram- What genre do you want Kim JongHyeon to appear in? What’s the reason? Personally, I hope JongHyeon can try the melodrama genre because he has that deep beautiful melancholic gaze that can give viewers heart-wrenching feelings. Maybe he can try a character who goes through mistreatments and misfortunes before he finally gets to see the light, rising from the ashes as he plots his revenge against the tyrant 😆. From a fan point of view, I think JongHyeon seems to be emotionally deep and rich in exploring that type of bittersweet character because he had struggled through so much hardship in his life too. So maybe he can bring that type of emotions on screen in a marvelous yet heartwarming way. -Kim JongHyeon & Shin HaYoung as Lee Shin & Chae JiYeon’s heart-wrenching love story from “Let Me Be Your Knight” drama- In addition, I also support JongHyeon’s wish to challenge a villain character in crime genre drama. JongHyeon once stated in the interview that he wanted to try to be a villain in a drama or movie so he can show different aspects of him. -At 02:44 - Kim JongHyeon’s interview. “I want to challenge crime genre drama as a villain”- I think challenging a villain character will definitely enrich JongHyeon’s experience and sharpen his skill as an actor. So I’m totally supportive of that idea. Another good thing is, since JongHyeon is also pretty nimble and a good dancer, I think having cool action scenes will be great for him too. Are there any quotes by Kim Jonghyeon that you would like to share? JongHyeon is quite thoughtful and wise, so he has many quotes that are somehow applicable or relatable with fans’ life. Personally I have two favorite quotes. “It’s best not to be afraid of failure. If you just do your best, there will be people who acknowledge when it’s the time. Don’t worry too much. Just continue what you’re doing best and you’ll be fine. You will do better, better and better as time goes by.” -at 7:22 - JongHyeon shared his experience after “Produce 101” season 2 about not to be afraid of failure- “I believe there is only light because there is darkness. People who went through the darkness would know how precious the light is.” -at 2:32 - JongHyeon was asked if he was drawn more to darkness or to light- What kind of influence has Kim Jonghyeon had on your daily life? JongHyeon will always be my favorite celebrity and inspiration. Kim JongHyeon’s journey gave me emotional comfort, like a reminder that it’s okay to walk slowly sometimes, as long as the path is built on a firm foundation with integrity and persistence. In a lighter mood, sometimes he influenced me on my meals or movies selection. For example, JongHyeon recently recommended the Marvel TV series “Moon Knight” in a magazine interview. Previously I considered starting on the series, but after JongHyeon recommended it, my interest to binge-watch the series immediately grew. What is your favorite side of fangirling? Through running a fan-account I learned many new skills like editing video, adding subtitles, or as simple as making gifs. It’s a fun experience. Another interesting side, I gained some new friends from around the world who are also JongHyeon’s loyal squad in the fandom that are very reliable in giving updates and making contents. Together we can support each other in a nice community that shares the right information while cheering on JongHyeon. Do you feel there are any misunderstandings about Kim Jonghyeon from non-fans? NU’EST leader JR has a precious real name and it is Kim JongHyeon (김종현). JR was his stage name given by his former agency. JongHyeon used his real name during “Produce 101” season 2 and now since he already starts a new chapter in his career, he starts using his real name again and it is officially Kim JongHyeon. There are so many public figures start from businessmen, actors, singers to athletes in South Korea who have the same name 김종현, so news articles, entertainment media or other celebrities often use NU’EST Kim JongHyeon to identify which JongHyeon they refer to at that moment. JongHyeon also often trends on Korean online communities for various fun and interesting topics and there he is addressed as NU JongHyeon. Meanwhile, JongHyeon’s fans on Twitter often use 우리 종현 or Our JongHyeon too when talking about JongHyeon. There are some types of spelling alphabets for 김종현: Kim JongHyun or Kim JongHyeon, and our JongHyeon officially uses Kim JongHyeon. Please use the right name and hashtag (#KimJonghyeon) when you share information about him on any social media platform 😊 You can follow Kim JongHyeon’s official Twitter: @em_jonghyeon.
— 김종현 (KIM JONGHYEON) (@em_jonghyeon) July 16, 2022 or JongHyeon’s personal Instagram: __jonghyeon.
A post shared by 김종현 (@__jonghyeon) Do you have any memorable JongHyeon’s events you want to share with the others? Every year in June JongHyeon has this adorable birthday tradition, previously it was called JR Tour and now it is called Jong Tour (쫑이투어). During this one-day tour he will disguise himself with a mascot costume and visit his birthday ads or birthday cafe events in Seoul to check them on the spot personally. There he will sit or walk around the places for a certain amount of time. If the fans are lucky, they might spot him and take pictures of or with him. There was one funny coincidence during his first birthday tour in 2018. A fan actually bumped into the real JongHyeon in one of the birthday ads spots. But she thought he was just a random turtle mascot so she just walked past him.
— 달려라 달려라🐢💨 (@jHsO7Tnk70M7VHH) June 7, 2018 -at 00:22 it is really JongHyeon inside that Squirtle costume- JongHyeon shared his reason behind this tradition was because he was very moved when he first saw fans’ effort in celebrating his birthday with all the ads and events. So he wanted to return that kindness in a special and memorable way. He kept on thinking what was the best way to do it, until the idea came to him. He should wear a costume that relates to fans’ nicknames for him and personally visit the places. In 2018 on the first tour, he dressed as Squirtle. On the second tour in 2019 he dressed as Gomdori/Teddy Bear. In 2020 he did a special online tour where he played online games with fans and browsed through his birthday hashtags on Twitter during his 3-hour long VLIVE. He had to take a hiatus in 2021 due to the pandemic. After the situation gets better, in 2022 he’s back on the street with the birthday tour and dressed as 갱얼쥐 or a puppy.
— MOON (@moonglowjh) June 8, 2022 -compilation video of Jonghyeon’s birthday tour from 2018 to 2022- Also recently JongHyeon held his first fan meeting at Jamsil Student Gymnasium in Seoul where he hi-five with 3500 audience in total, divided into two sessions. Fans were worried that he might be tired because he had to hold up his arms for each whole session. But JongHyeon reassured fans that his arms are fine the next day and if there’s another chance he will definitely do it again because he was so happy and thankful being able to meet with fans one by one on such a special occasion. Can you recommend words that your bias likes to hear to new fans who don’t know yet about it? In a recent interview with The Star magazine, JongHyeon said that he likes hearing 고생했어 (you did a great job) or 고생 많았어 (you’ve been through a lot of hardships but you did a great job). When he hears those words, he feels loved and acknowledged for his effort so his tears even well up sometimes. Please recommend your favorite selfie by your bias. JongHyeon was once famous for his one angle selca. He took lots of selca but only from one angle. It was so funny when they were all compiled into one. Here is the compilation of the selca in a video format:
— {복가리} (@POCARI) March 7, 2019 But recently JongHyeon has added more variations to his selca and we all love it. Any angle is a good angle with JongHyeon. Name a variety show/content show that you would love to see your bias on? Tell us why. Something with a daily life concept like “I Live Alone” or maybe “Three Meals A Day” would be suitable for JongHyeon. Because he has an interesting personality and usually he shows that quirky side of him only in natural settings and that can be very adorable. Also because JongHyeon is a very private person, fans are so curious about how he spends his days. Variety shows like “Unexpected Business” or “Coffee Friends” might be suitable for him too because hard-working JongHyeon knows how to hustle. He will get the job done. Also, he has the experience of helping his parents run a small supermarket and a snack restaurant in his hometown when he was younger. What do you have in common with your favourite idol? Same homebody. Being the youngest at home but also the backbone of the family at the same time, filial to parents. Appreciating good values in life like integrity and loyalty. Not really into social media for posting too much information or personal photos because privacy is one of the best things in the world. Also, being frugal with money 😆 because life is hard. What is your favourite way of communicating with your bias? I personally enjoy VLIVE because JongHyeon becomes more chatty when he’s on VLIVE. He shares a lot of things while reading the comments from fans, so random topics often come up, starting from his daily life, reviewing his finished projects like drama or concert, to the stories of his childhood. They are very interesting and JongHyeon has this adorable voice and gestures when he talks to fans so it was very comforting to watch. Also JongHyeon and his staff show their effort when he comes to VLIVE. He would bring food to eat or sometimes to cook, or he would bring some crafts or do some unboxing. It is quite a fun and pleasant interaction. -JongHyeon’s latest VLIVE: review of his fan meeting and unboxing merchandise.- Can you share a fun episode that only fans from your fandom know to readers? JongHyeon is actually a very shy person by nature. He really hates exposure. Ten years of his career he only exposed his abs once in a concert. Most of the time he tried to avoid exposure at all costs. But fans love to tease him about it. Recently in the fanmeeting fans sent many pictures of his exposed abs to the big screen on stage. So JongHyeon got very flustered and tried to make the pictures disappear as in the video below:
JH: QUICK! GO UP AND AWAY! Then he complaint “you all have my pics but the funny thing is none of you helps me to solve my concern.” 🤣🤣🤣#김종현 #kimjonghyeon #Hi_종현 pic.twitter.com/myZMa9s09e — MOON (@moonglowjh) July 3, 2022 Is your bias different while performing and in real life? What is your reaction to the difference (if there’s any)? JongHyeon is very cool, passionate and charismatic when he’s performing on stage. It’s like he can tear the stage apart like a doberman. But off stage he is just like a small maltese puppy. That’s why fans give him nickname 낮말밤도 (nanmalbamdo) it’s the short form of 낮에는 말티즈 밤에는 도베르만 (maltese at daylight, doberman at night). Recently Kim JongHyeon also earned a fresh new nickname Bambi or Kim Bambi because when fans saw him in real life at the hi-touch session of his fan meeting, they saw his beautiful eyes and eyelashes along with his pretty neckline. Fans thought he resembled the Bambi character from Disney. Finally, any message you want to say to Kim JongHyeon? JongHyeon once felt sorry at his fan meeting for being slow. But even though he’s slow, he promised to always walk firmly. With a humble heart he showed his utmost gratitude to everyone for staying beside him, and for giving him courage to stand up again in the new chapter of his life as a musician and actor. So I just want to say, JongHyeon, you are not slow, you are right on time. Even if sometimes it might seem that you walk slowly, I believe that it is still better to go slow in the right direction than to go fast aimlessly. The best things in life always take process and time. You have endured all the hardships in the past and you are blessed with persistence and patience, so you will do great things in life. Thank you for giving all your best in every work while keeping your humility and integrity close to your heart. Thank you for being very brave, for keeping calm and steady in the midst of all the bad stormy situations. I was sad knowing the pain and fear you had to go through again and again in your career, but all your struggles and hard work will all be returned with blessings from the above. They will flourish abundantly in the future because there will always be a rainbow after the rain. JongHyeon, you will never walk alone. We all will keep walking with you, doing our best to cheer on you. So thank you for being the best inspiration and role model to us and for showing your sincerity through your actions. 최고다 김종현! All the best for Kim JongHyeon always! Thank you for answering our questions. If you are interested in joining Kpopmap Fan Interview Project, please get in touch with us at [email protected] Everyone is welcome to participate.
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