#member:taemin

[writtenaboutshinee]

The Celebrity June 2015 interview - Taemin [Taemin who is neither early nor late]

Repost from the translator keihissi’s original post, which can be found

here on their blog.

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[Taemin who is neither early nor late] The maknae of famous SHINee, and the most famous maknae among all of this (idol) world's maknae, Taemin. Because his hyungs show nothing but love for him, fans have dubbed him "TAEMINee". Is this why compared to the other members, his growth to adulthood has drawn a deeper and thicker impression and stayed in the public's hearts? We talked about the seemingly young but not young Taemin's progress velocity.

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Q: We saw "Let's Go to School" and it seems you really enjoyed being a matchmaker between your friends who are interested in each other?

Taemin: I was reasonably interested. I wasn't able to do such things during my student days. That's why I excessively enjoyed myself and somehow tried to help them.

Q: During your rookie days, sometimes when you have to let go of your favorite things, you earnestly worried over your choices and that is impressive. Have you ever felt any regret or have you ever wanted to get them back again?

Taemin: I've really never regretted it. There are times when I've said "it's a pity" as a joke, but when I see someone pleased because of me, I'm happy too. That's why when I give out things, I give out those that I treasure the most.

Q: If we ask now if we can have your favorite item, what will we receive?

Taemin: I guess the iPad I've used long ago?

Q: We really want it (LOL). Last year, you presented yourself as a solo artist for the first time with「ACE」. That time, did you read everything written about you--experts' opinions and news articles, etc.?

Taemin: Of course. Whether they are objective or subjective articles, they were all discussions for my sake. When I'm doing activities with SHINee, I haven't really looked at articles about us. But when I was doing solo activities, I tried to see the responses as much as I could, I really looked them up. Since it's my first solo activity and I have to do everything by myself so I had a lot of worries.

Q: You seem to be the type who becomes more stimulated to do his best after getting criticized, but isn't that tiring? Is it not right to be just pleased with praises?

Taemin: Of course I love receiving praises but because of that I also dislike getting negative comments. That's why I'm the type who makes sure that do things precisely and without mistakes. I think I'm like that by nature.

Q: When talking about Taemin, we cannot remove topics like "maknae," "debuting when young", and "student days". Have you ever thought that you are going through life very fast?

Taemin: I've thought about how long I've been active (as an idol), but really, it's just that I'm an entertainer and the other people of the my age are students, right? Sometimes. when I look at photos from way back, I think that time really passed by so much.

Q: Before realizing it, you (SHINee) have reached your 8th year. In those 7 years, have you become closer to the image of an artist that you have dreamed about or wished to be?

Taemin: First, the visions I embraced before debut and the reality have some differences, so I can say that I developed a different image than I thought. But other than that I cannot tell if it's for the bad or for the good. In proportion to the great effort I exert, I'm able to have a great chance to challenge different things. And each time I feel that I'm able to acquire the fruits of my labors in my own way. I think that that in itself is interesting.

Q: You have said yourself that you will go in the direction that you desire, right? Have you set an objective for yourself?

Taemin: Actually, I don't think of reaching my goals at this speed, even so, I intend to proceed towards a good direction. This is something that depends on me, so first I have to exert a lot of effort in order to become better.

Q: You have a lot of things you want to do and your passion is also overflowing, but aren't you "striking the iron" too much?

Taemin: I think that whenever my greed surfaces and I say something that I want to do it's a just cause that I have to do it. Instead of being someone who doesn't do anything and is carefree, when I'm preparing for something I really become a greedy person. By nature, I don't really wish for anything more than what I have. But with regards to work, I am very ambitious so I am actively assertive.

Q: Last March, you had concerts in Tokyo Dome. How does it feel to cross over such a large mountain?

Taemin: Even in Japan's music scene, Tokyo Dome is a symbolic place. It's like a dream to be able to perform there so we've always talked about how we wanted to stand on its stage. It's not a stage where just anyone can stand, and standing there is like following our sunbaes' footsteps. When we began our Japan activities, we started at the very bottom, piling up (experience and reputation) little by little with precision, so when we managed to fill up Tokyo Dome with the audience, it felt like we've been given recognition. The feeling of accomplishment and deep emotion is so immense that the members, together with the audience, shed tears.

Q: You have accomplished such a great thing, but doesn't it mean that you have no more goals (since you've met it)?

Taemin: We do not stop at Tokyo Dome. I want to perform concerts in even more, bigger domes and I want to let even more people hear our music.

Q: On this day, it's been 2541 days since SHINee debuted. What is SHINee for Taemin?

Taemin: I've answered this every time, but they're really a family to me. They fill in whatever it is I'm lacking, and they're my sole sanctuary with whom I can depend on with peace of mind. We have had fights and we have gone through difficult times, but we are now at the point wherein we are comfortable and most honest with each other.

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➤ translated from korean to japanese by umecocleskey

➤ please note that this is a 2nd degree translation: korean -> japanese -> english, so some nuances and words might've been lost in translation. please DO NOT take the interview literally/word for word.

➤ translation may not be 100% accurate.

➤ please do not repost without permission.

About the last point the translator made. Since they’re not actively translating anymore and don’t seem to really be involved in the fandom anymore either, I hoped it would be okay to repost it, also since I did credit them properly. If the the original translator keihissi somehow finds this and want me to take it down, please message me and I will do just that. /writtenaboutshinee