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[ericszhon]

THE BOYZ for W Korea Vol. 11 • Eric Full Interview

Translated by @.tbzwangdeuls / Oktober 2024.

<W Korea> Hello, this is Eric of THE BOYZ who is in charge of 'visual' and 'height'.

"That's right, I'm Eric who's in charge of visual.....nope. Just joking!"

How have you been spending your days lately? It seems like you're about to get busy.

"Honestly, I feel like I'm going through days that aren't as happy as they would be. It's not that I am unhappy but more of, 'I could have been happier but why am I not?' The members. and the fans know how satisfied I am with my job. But even so, I don't know why I feel like this. It's strange. I am just trying to make an effort to be happier."

It's surprising to hear something like that from someone as passionate as Eric. But isn't happiness something you can attain if you try to force it?

"I think it takes effort to be happy too. My situation these days is like this: I'm reading a book but I have to leave for a bit, so I put a bookmark and close it. Then, when I came back, the bookmark seemed to have disappeared. I can't even remember where I left off. It feels like I am wandering aimlessly in the wilderness."

Have you thought of how will you spend your time that makes you feel comfortable or feel good?

"Although the tour made me physically tired I was happy, and I also have happy memories when I was working on music...but I'm still looking for it. I went for a two-hour (2) walk the other day and while walking, I kept thinking, 'How can I be happy?' I just, think of it as something like a passing rain."

Do you write in between work?

"Sometimes. I often (write it) in my memo. I do it whenever I think of something, like when I was on the plane for the tour, I was watching a movie when I heard a good script and I wrote it down. Do you want to hear it?"

"I first started to write a poem to please a girl. She loves poetry. And I love her." (...) "I might be embarrassed tomorrow for what I wrote today, but I never regretted it. Words are similar to the traces of love."

Ah, I think I've watched that movie too...

"It's a Korean drama called <Single in Seoul>. I actually didn't intend to write it down in my memo but when I heard the part, 'I have never regretted it, I replayed that part, and wrote those down. I might get embarrassed tomorrow but as long as I do my best today...l totally can resonate with that."

It feels like the emphasis is not on the 'love' aspect but rather on the 'attitude towards life', right?

"I am known as a passionate person, even the fans recognize that but it's just like how the bookmark disappeared. There are times when I want to write down lines like "Where am I right now. And I like romance movies. My favorite movie is <The Notebook>. I heard there will be a re-make of it soon, right? Movies like that make me cry so much. It's because I'm an F."

Do you have this kind of mood or personality whenever you talk with your mom who lives in LA?

"I actually talked with my mom on the way to the shoot today after a long time. I don't talk about things like this with my mom but there's something she usually tells me after we talk and before we end the call, "You have to be busy, Youngjae-ya." Yes, I have to keep myself moving without taking a break, it's ok even if I can't get some sleep. If the time I spend alone gets too long, I feel like I am trapped in my own world."

How's working on your mixtape or on music? Working on your songs one by one and as they accumulate, when you look at it next time will give you a sense of security.

"I only uploaded my mixtape <22> on Soundcloud on my birthday. My motif then was '22' and when you combine those two numbers, it will create a heart, so I chose love as the theme. It consists of three tracks that talk about bright love, melancholic love, and my own style of love. I also got a tattoo of the number 22, which is in the shape of a heart. This may sound cheesy, but I don't get much inspiration these days."

When I see boy groups, being close doesn't necessarily mean they talk a lot. However, it seems like THE BOYZ communicates a lot amongst yourselves. While you are searching for your happiness, do you share your thoughts/feelings with them?

"Of course. We all gather around in our waiting room and have some talk 30 minutes before we come on stage. Whether in the hotel or wherever it is, we meet when someone says, 'Let's gather. That's why the amount of conversation amongst us accumulated tremendously. Throughout those times, we were able to confirm that we were looking in the same direction."

What do you think are the necessary things to have for a group to last long?

"It's (to have) Eric (laughs). It's not a joke, and I mean it. Of course, that doesn't mean that other members don't have sincerity. I have a lot of affection too. I might not seem like it, but I have a lot of affection, you know? So there's a lot of affection within the team too. Of course, having an occasional rift in the team is inevitable, but at those times, I try to hold on to the affection that we have and keep my head in the game. It's not just the role I have to take, but each member takes turns fulfilling that role. Putting aside my pride, it might sound cliche, but we must have a "united heart." Trust alone is not enough. Even if we all have our own sense of trust with each other, if everyone is not in the same direction, then it will be difficult to sustain a long-term relationship. Of course, not all 11 of us can have the same goals or dreams; it's possible. But ultimately, our hearts are united, and that matters. We all know very well that we need each other."

You recently had a world tour. Did you feel something different compared to the past tours?

"I felt it very much. As I had to take a break during the tour in 2022, I couldn't participate. That's why this is my first time doing a tour in the U.S. since my debut. My family home is in the U.S, but it's only now that I am doing a tour there. It's also been a long time since we did a tour in Europe. Since I took a break from touring unlike other members, I could feel how the scale-venue and fandom-wise increased greatly. While touring in the U.S., I was finally able to invite my friends living in LA to watch the concert, and I was really happy to spend some time with the members and enjoy our stay in the States."

What kind of feelings do you have now that the new album is fast approaching?

"We have our own colors that we've shown already, and this might be the final look of that narrative. For example, it is like preparing for a short haircut after dyeing the long hair I've been growing. Next time, I could show up with a completely different style, starting from the midpart (of the hair). The desire to break free from this change. For your hair to grow, you have to trim it from time to time, right? So I want to break from this style/mold and try something new. The other members would probably feel the same. Other members would probably feel the same."

If the members talk a lot amongst themselves, you must know each other well. Who is the person that is most different from Eric?

"Although Q hyung is quite different from me, if it's work-wise, I'd say it's Sunwoo. I am ENFJ, you know, with 99% J. I felt at ease when I thought everything out in advance and calculated everything well. I also imagine all sorts of scenarios from a person's tone or gaze, which, yes, can be overwhelming at times. There are moments when I wish I could be reborn. From Sunwoo's perspective, I wouldn't be seen as someone very cool. But I am the person who has the LA vibes... but the two of us can have a 5-hour conversation over mango juice and a cup ramyeon."

It was mentioned that you are swimming upstream like a salmon. Why so?

"It's not only a comparison with a salmon. Was it like.... a yellowtail fish? Flatfish? Ah, a sunfish! I said I'm like the mix of a salmon and a sunfish (laughs). The sunfish is known to die easily if it bumps into something or gets surprised. It's a fish that seems to die from just anything it does."

It's quite strange, isn't it. The more I listen, the more I feel the love between the two of you. Sunwoo talked a lot about Eric. You two also did unit activities together.

"I think Sunwoo's analogy isn't that wrong. I tend to get hurt on the things that I should not. During those times, I lean on the members. Sunwoo is a member I also lean on. Our 'Honey' unit only has good memories in it. The song and choreography were good, the music production was nice, and the promotion was enjoyable. When 11 of us perform together for about three (3) minutes, it's hard to show each one of our charms properly every time. I also heard from the fans how they started to see me differently and became interested because of that song. It was when I was filming for the <Genius Paik Season 2 in Spain when I got a call from Sunwoo. He's not the style who will call you first but he said, "I think we definitely have to do this."

What do you like about yourself when you think about it?

"It's the sincerity I have. I don't hold back when it comes to expressing my sincerity. To me, the concept of doing something half-heartedly doesn't exist. I want to give my best in everything that I do, whether it's for work, working out, love, or whatever it is. I'm already the type of person who tends to stress myself out, and if I don't give my all in something and really regret it, then I won't be able to bear it."

Sincerity and doing your best goes are two things that go hand in hand. You have no regrets when do your best.

"Yes, those two things are connected. Just like what Sunwoo mentioned, I sometimes swim upstream with my busy thoughts, but when I want to reach the point where I originally wanted to get to, I don't fool around. I think it's the same thing. When the company's concept differs from what I envisioned, I try to talk it out to persuade them and find common ground. I want to convince them. If the result of that effort is good, I can't help but feel happy. Even when we are practicing our choreographies while. others are doing well, I insist on our dance teacher to let us practice more. I'm like that kid who raises their hand and asks, 'Teacher, aren't you going to check the homework you gave us yesterday?'. In other words, I can be bothersome and tiring sometimes. Although I am also someone whose existence is essential in a group, I know I can be hard on myself sometimes, but I am not giving up."

[ericszhon]

Eric, and his flaming allure.

"I'm full of energy, I talk a lot, I'm loud. A mischievous boy who doesn't listen to others that well."

Yeah, everything is right. I just hope you know that these aren't everything about me. When I don't seem like that, I'm afraid that everyone might feel betrayed like

"Youngjae wasn't who I thought was. Was everything fake? Everything that Eric and Youngjae showed us until now?"

However, that's not fake. It really is me. I'm really loud. As you can see, I'm a bright person. But not all the time. Sometimes, I'm very sensitive. When I sleep, not at all. Even though someone turns on the light or turns on a movie, I can feel asleep in 1 minute and won't wake up. I'm not sensitive in that regard, but my thoughts. So, I'm quite stubborn.

I think too much and worry too much. But, other people tell me that more than half of my worries are unnecessary. The fact that you are worrying so much is worrying. People tell me that a lot. Nowadays, I'm trying not to think a lot and go with the flow. I'm trying to stick with that. Although it's not easy.

I'm more interested in others than myself. I don't have trouble getting along with new people and I'm not a shy person. I'm curious about new people and what there perspective are what kind of person they are the similarities they have with me. I'm curious about this things. The point is this I'm very interest in this person but if this person isn’t as interested in me as I am, I feel sad. Even though that person didn't ask for my attention in the first place, I feel bad if I don't get the same amount of attention that I give to them.

Every time this repeats I believe I think too much in my head. My strength I think it's my potential. Honestly there are to many skilled people in the world. But I'm not standing person or and excellent person among them. I'm heading to world that direction, step by step. My strange is the potensial to grow and improve furthermore. I felt fresh and good. Although I left out a bit. I feel like I confessed my genuine thoughts.

Eric Sohn, Identity Film ‘Generation Z’.

[ericszhon]

Due to the X's policy, I would like to declare that the writer behind this account's inclined to mention that i'm not the real ERIC and not affiliated with THE BOYZ. This account was made solely for roleplayer purpose only.