Henry talks about Ryeowook

KIM RYEOWOOK: VOLUNTEER CHEF KIM
By: Henry Lau


I don’t remember when I first met Ryeowook, I’ve known him when I was accepted into the company in 2006 to fight for my dreams by myself in Korea. Even though only less than 2 years have passed, but everytime I think back to my trainee days, Ryeowook hyung’s warm face always appears. I never thought that 2 years later, I would have the chance to be so close with my seniors Super Junior whom I have respected and envied, and to realize our dreams together in China.

HYUNG GOING CRAZY FOR CHINESE

To prepare for SJ-M’s first album, all the members often recorded deep into the night together, sometimes there would be no time to rest for the whole night. Han Geng hyung and Zhou Mi hyung were using any time they get to teach everyone Chinese and correct everyone’s pronunciations repeatedly. Ryeowook hyung had a big part in the album. When he was by himself, he would read Chinese pronunciations labelled in Korean over and over again. Occasionally, he would grab me, who was memorizing lyrics beside me, and ask, “Is this word pronounced this way? It feels weird. Did Han Geng hyung teach us wrong?” Sometimes I wasn’t sure of the pronounciation either, so Ryeowook hyung and I would go to Donghae hyung for help. Donghae hyung would stare at the Korean phonetics and then study his own part over and over again. At then he would push both away and say, “Let’s go find Han Geng hyung and ask.” In the end, it turned into us going everywhere to find Han Geng.

Ryeowook hyung has a very nice voice, his singing is also very good. After adjusting the pronunciation again and again, he would quickly master the song. Even if it is a Chinese song, he can make it powerful and moving; you can’t help but admire Ryeowook hyung’s skills in singing. “The One” is hyung’s favourite song, it’s a song made for 2008 Beijing Olympics, and a song that inspires people to compete in a positive manner and to go ahead bravely. Zhou Mi hyung even wrote the lyrics meticulously; it was very well-written. Everyone liked it very much after hearing the demo. Ryeowook hyung said “Thinking of fans humming us SJ-M’s song while watching the Olympics makes me very happy.”

Ryeowook hyung also especially prepared a Chinese song - “Kiss Goodbye” by Wang Leehom. When hyung sang the song live to our fans, he sang with a lot of emotions and everyone was attracted to his voice and captivated by him.

After our first show ended, hyung secretly told me that he was so nervous that he almost fainted when he was singing “Kiss Goodbye.” He cares a lot about whether the fans enjoyed it or not.

KING OF COOKING IN THE DORM

After coming to China, due to lots of practice, Ryeowook hyung’s cooking skills improved very quickly. When we are in the dorm, we can eat delicious food very often, even at midnight. I heard from Donghae hyung that Ryeowook hyung cooked for the members in the dorm in Korea too, such as peeling apples and making ramen. In China, Ryeowook hyung learned to make some very delicious Chinese food. Hyung is very fascinated by Chinese delicacies, he even studied how to make a shaobing with great interest. Even though Han Geng hyung criticized the finished product, I thought it tasted pretty good, except it was a little hard.

Once, it was 12:00 at night and Ryeowook hyung still hadn’t slept. I found out later that he was preparing breakfast for Donghae hyung, who had an activity to attend very early in the following morning. Hyung is always quietly caring for the other members like this. It makes me think of when I was a trainee, once, I practised in the dance studio really late into the night by myself, and I was so tired that I fell alseep on the floor before I had a chance to clean everything up. Ryeowook hyung, who was also practising late in the music room, saw me sleeping when he passed by and woke me up because he was worried that I might get sick, he also gave me a pack of cookies because I was too focused on practising dance to eat.

In reality, he’s very busy too. But even if he only sleeps one or two hours and is very tired, he still prepares food for the members once practice is finished. Ryeowook takes care of us like a real hyung; it’s very touching.

Ryeowook hyung loves to watch me play the violin, he would say it’s great with tears in the corners of his eyes. Ryeowook hyung, touched by my violin-playing, always easily move me with his sensitivity and kindness. After a major earthquake struck China, after seeing the terrible conditions in TV news, hyung updated his CY while crying. Even though he’s very sensitive, sometimes he acts very stubborn. He dragged me and Kyuhyun hyung, both with no make-up on, to take pictures with him on the plane. And then he posted those rough faces on his CY. How would the fans react when they see it?

Donghae talks about Siwon

OUR YOUNG MASTER, CHOI SIWON
By Lee Donghae


“Gentleman” is the best word that describes Siwon. Siwon is always very polite with everyone, and even though we made fun of his frequent hand gestures, those gestures actually represent Siwon’s politeness to other people. Even when he is angry, he tries his best to calm himself, and discuss the problem with other people in a very reasonable manner. Siwon is seriously too handsome when he’s like this.

A TALL MAN WITH A SOFT HEART

Siwon is a very good friend of mine, but to tell you the truth, when I first met him, I thought he would be very hard to approach. He was so tall and handsome, “Would a guy like this look down on other people?” I thought at the time. But Siwon isn’t like that, he always has a smile on his face, sometimes he’s scary when he’s serious, but when he’s faking seriousness he becomes very cute.

Siwon is a very kind person, his heart is very gentle, completely different from his strong outside appearance. When we were having promotions, an earthquake happened in China, everyone was very sad. At night, when everyone was watching TV together in the dorm, Siwon always started crying as he watched. Every night, Siwon would pray silently, praying so that people in earthquake-stricken areas could walk out from the disaster.

Siwon is also very considerate. I’m the kind of person who feels irritated if I don’t get everything off my chest. Every time I say something bad, Siwon always looks at me innocently and listens to me until I finish talking. And then no matter what I said was wrong or right, he would always make me feel better first. Siwon’s tolerance, gentleness and kindness often makes people feel that he’s very big.

Siwon is also a very responsible man. He went to China in order to learn Chinese for filming “Battle of Wits.” For a person who didn’t understand Chinese at all, everything had to start at zero.

when we first started recording “U” in Chinese, Han Geng hyung and Zhou Mi were helping us with Chinese pronunciation. They were very patient, but they were also very strict. But, the point I want to make is, Chinese pronunciation is really hard! There was one place where Siwon had to record many times, and each time he was negated by the 2 hyungs. Siown, who used to be very confident with his Chinese, suddenly exploded and made the hyungs leave. But he stayed in the room himself to practice again and again. During that period of time, he worked very hard and put in a lot of effort. Even when he was sick, he didn’t let it affect his work. He would always use smile in front of the fans.

THIS GUY LIKES SKINSHIP

Han Geng hyung says that out of all the SJ-M members, the worst to control are me and Siwon. Actually, I’ve noticed a long time ago that every time I pull a prank, Siwon was always there to help. Every time I would say “Siwon ah, wouldn’t it be fun if we did this?” He would be full of righteousness and say to me “How can we do that, let’s forget about this.” But in the end, he always actively participates in my plan. When we succeed, he really seems like a kid with those 2 large dimples of his when he smiles.

Siwon also really knows how to act cute. And it’s the type that completely does not match with his appearance. “Hyung, I worked so hard, let me kiss you,” he would say this while holding hyung’s hand.

This guy also really likes skinship. In the beginning it gave me headaches. I’m the type of person who doesn’t like to be hugged by others. But after a while, not only me, but everyone in the group got used to Siwon’s skinship. When Zhou Mi sees that Siwon is trying to get close with him, he throws himself at Siwon. Hehe.

Lately in China, Siwon suddenly became very active. In Korea, Siwon didn’t participate in many shows, and even if does go on a show, he shows his solemn side in front of the camera. But his actions in China completely surprised us. “He’s lying,” “Seriously,” became his best comebacks with Han Geng hyung. He not only banters with Han Geng hyung, he doesn’t let the hosts off either. Siwon really does like China a lot, so he wants to show his truest side to everyone. And so, everyone sees an adorable Siwon, who is talkative like a chatty maid.

Kyuhyun talks about Donghae

LEE DONGHAE: YOU ARE MY HERO
By Cho Kyuhyun


HYUNG IS VERY HANDSOME, VERY CHARMING

No matter how I say it, Donghae hyung holds a very high place in my heart. I remember when I first joined SJ as the 13th member, I felt very uneasy, but hyung would always give me strength, whenever I got depressed, he was always there to encourage me, I really love this kind of hyung.

It was my first time to be away from home for such a long time in a foreign country; our fans gave me warmth, but I still can’t escape from missing my parents, and it was the first time I understood Han Geng hyung and Kibum hyung’s pain. I wanted to cry because I missed my parents, but Donghae hyung was always there to quietly comfort me. I know that hyung misses his parents more than anyone else — his father in heaven, and his mother in Mokpo. Even if he does mention his father, who has passed away, hyung never cries in front of the camera. Having a sensitive personality, hyung used to cry often, but because he made a promise with his father that he wouldn’t cry, he never cried again because of sadness. Hyung is so handsome when he’s strong.

Hyung is also very handsome when he works hard. In our company, hyung is a well known “training worm,” you can find him in practice rooms very often. Since then, I would often go to the practice room to find him, and then when I saw that he was working very hard practising his dance, but still with a smile on his face, I was very moved.

Before we came to China, hyung always had notebooks in his bag, filled with notes he took to learn Chinese. In China, whether he’s meeting fans, or when he’s in the dorm, he’s always working hard at trying to communicate with everyone in Chinese, he’s always chasing Han Geng hyung and asking about this and that. And even when we return to Korea, he’s always bragging about his Chinese skills. Hyung’s very cute when he’s like that.

ACTUALLY I’M THE HYUNG

Childishness completely fills hyung’s life. He really is very mischievous. Once I was sharing a room with Donghae hyung in the hotel, I was absorbed by the computer, while wondering why Donghae hyung was so quiet. When I lift my head up to look, he was lying there drawing on the sofa. In the dorm, you can always see Donghae jumping up and down like a monkey, very full of energy, always looking youthful. This kind of hyung gives Han Geng hyung, who is now the leader of SJ-M, lots of headaches.

Hyung has very beautiful, expressive eyes, his emotions always shows through his pure eyes, with nothing concealed. Donghae hyung really makes other people like him because of his child-like innocence. But hyung is very different when he’s quiet. He stays in a corner quietly, wearing headphones, and spacing out. No one knows what he’s thinking, he’s completely in his own word, people will never believe that he is the normally very excited Donghae hyung.

Donghae hyung can be very funny sometimes. For example, on shows, he’s always saying in Chinese “I know,” and “I can understand.” But when the host lets him talk, he looks completely lost. And when we went to Nanjing to promote for the first time, the organizers invited us to eat Nanjing’s very delicious salt water duck, and after that he fell in love with the duck. When were were preparing to leave Nanjing, he suddenly pulled out 2 salt water ducks from his bag in the airport. No one knew when he bought them. It was very surprising.

Hyung is very careful about his image. In our dorm, he would poke acne on his face, and then look very frustrated. In China, because the enviroment is different, in the beginning he wasn’t used to it, hyung really had acne on his face. I did too. At that time, hyung always would say to me, “Kyuhyun ah, this method is very effective in removing acne.” And so he would drag me to try out his “Secret Acne Removal Recipe” together, which might be this kind of face mask, or that kind of skin-care product. After trying many times, hyung’s face really did get better, but mine didn’t, so he always made me eat lots of vegetables and fruits, telling me that those are good for my health.

“You must be healthy,” this must be the words that appear frequently in hyung’s wishes. I committed this deeply in my heart. This is also Donghae hyung’s truest wish for everyone. After experiencing the passing of his father and and other members’ car accidents, Donghae hyung became stronger.

Ryeowook talks about Kyuhyun

SYNTHESIS OF CONTRADICTIONS: CHO KYUHYUN
By Kim Ryeowook


Kyuhyun is very manly. He’s younger than me, but the way he thinks is very mature. I learned a lot from him. Sometimes he feels like a hyung, sometimes a dongsaeng, but he’s also a friend, which feels good. We often sing songs together, I think he’s the best. Kyuhyun’s voice is very good, and he’s also a boy with dreams.

“WAITER!”

Kyuhyun uses the simplest Chinese to get the biggest reaction. “Waiter! Waiter!” This is what Kyuhyun sounds like when he calls for the waiter in a restaurant. “Wai……Han Geng hyung!” This is Kyuhyun calling Han Geng when he can’t continue the dialogue in Chinese. Yes, Kyuhyun’s Chinese is good, but only when he’s calling for waiters in restaurants. Kyuhyun’s Chinese is always short. Kyuhyun’s fans are like this too, they’re very cute. You can often see fans surrounding our car, yelling “Waiter,” Waiter!” Kyuhyun’s fans only need to yell “Waiter” when they are chasing after Kyuhyun.

In Korea, Kyuhyun always seemed very mature, but he became shy after coming to China. He’s never as articulate as he was on radio programs before. On Chinese shows, he’s always soft-spoken and introverted. Hyungs always make fun of him when he’s like that. Whenever Kyuhyun receives gifts from Chinese fans, he has an unbelievable look with his eyes wide open. It seems like he still doesn’t know his popularity. When I see him like this, I can’t help but give him encouragement, and share some of my not-so-high confidence with him.

But there are also times like this, when I see him sick, I feel very apologetic. Once we were recording a show in Nanchang, Kyuhyun threw up during the recording because he wasn’t feeling well. When I saw him leaning against Zhou Mi hyung weakly, I thought, why didn’t I take good care of him? Because of last year’s serious car accident, it took Kyuhyun a very long time to recover. He’s loved dearly by all his hyungs. Good thing all the members take good care of him. Siwon hyung helps him wipe away sweat when recording programs, when there are too many people, Zhou Mi hyung lets him walk on the inside in fear that he might get squished. Even the smallest things show the deep friendship between the members.

GAMEKYU

One of Kyuhyun’s nicknames is “GameKyu,” because he’s completely obesessed with games. Kyuhyun once said that if he wasn’t a member of Super Junior, he should probably be a professional gamer by now. After SJ-M came to China, he’s always making the most of his talent. And not only is he playing games, he also led the rest of us astray.

Chinese fans are very enthusiastic, we can always see them no matter what type of weather it is. Even if it’s pouring rain, there would still be fans waiting at our dorm, sometimes they won’t leave even if it’s getting very late. We worry a lot about their safety and hope they can go home early so they won’t be scolded by their parents.

Because of fans waiting outside, we members can’t go out as we would like during our spare time. This directly caused all of us to network together and play games. Donghae improved very fast, and was even praised by Kyuhyun in front of all our hyungs. But don’t worry that our game-playing will affect our work! Most of the time we’re still working hard at learning Chinese, practicing dancing and singing.

Kyuhyun’s like this too. Many people remember that he sang “Not Letting My Tears Accompany Through the Night,” this is an old song by Chinese singer Qi Qin. It took Kyuhyun a lot of effort to learn this song. Qi Qin’s CD was given to Kyuhyun by a fan. Maybe it was because after hearing him sing “The Moon Represents My Heart,” she wanted to hear him sing more Chinese songs! Kyuhyun gave back to his fans this way, giving them the best present.

Even though Kyuhyun looks mature and solemn, he also has a very adorable side. He’s also the king of aegyo. During the period of time when SJ-M went to China to promote, we never went back to Korea. Super Junior members all missed each other. Even though Kyuhyun never said it, he also missed them in his heart. He also secretly called our leader, Leeteuk hyung. But unfortunately, Leeteuk hyung was always on shows when he called. It made Kyuhyun very gloomy. When we went back to Korea, he complained to Leeteuk hyung. So, this guy actually loves to act cutesy. Our handsome and cute dongsaeng Kyuhyun, you must be healthy in the future.

Siwon talks about Hangeng

HAN GENG: FLOWER BOY OF 1.3 BILLION
By Choi Siwon


I’ve known Han Geng hyung for 6 years. Unlike other Super Junior members, Han Geng hyung came to Korea to become a singer all by himself through a talent search by SM in China. Now, hyung finally has the chance to go back to his country and realize his dreams on Chinese ground.

WE ARE SWORN BROTHERS

When I first saw Han Geng hyung, far away from his home, fighting for his dreams in Korea alone, my first thought was that how could there be a person this strong. Since then, I was determined to always be by hyung’s side, and protect his dreams. No matter what problems he will face, I will always be there with him. And I hope that when hyung is sad, he will remember that I’m by his side.

Now we’re in China, back in hyung’s motherland, and able to see hyung’s mother, whom he missed dearly, I’m truly happy for hyung. Hyung faced a lot of hardships in Korea, even though right now we’re in China, since we have already debuted as singers, we can’t experience the pain and pressure that hyung endured in Korea. When we’re in Korea, hyung is full of pride whenever he talks about his motherland. I can feel that hyung really does love his country. Now, we’ve come to the place that hyung grew up, we’ve seen the people that hyung loves, and we’ve also seen hyung’s and our fans. We want to give these beautiful people our best performances.

When I was studying abroad in China, I went to Geng hyung’s house, I saw his mother. She is very young, very pretty, and makes very good dumplings. But back then, I felt embarrassed to go eat there often, so when I went back to Korea, I started missing her dumplings. Now that SJ-M lives in Beijing, I finally have a chance to eat them often.

The earthquake in China impacted the lives of many Chinese citizens seriously. Every member of SJ-M was deeply pained by this, and showed our caringness in many different ways. Han Geng hyung even donated a large sum of money with the eye-drop company that he endorses. Hyung is very kind, there isn’t anyone who is kinder than him. But hyung, we are sworn brothers, please don’t say bad things about me on shows, OK? Don’t think that I can’t understand you when you’re using Chinese. You should know that my Chinese is pretty good.

HYUNG IS LEADER? HE’S SUPER JUNIOR M’S BEST LEADER

Han Geng hyung is Super Junior M’s leader. In our group, besides him, Zhou Mi and Henry, the other four members, including me, are all from Korea. I had studied in China for a few months, so to come to China again, everything feels very familiar and friendly. I’m also used to living there. But it’s different for Donghae, Ryeowook and Kyuhyun. They had to start from the very beginning, everything was new for them. Han Geng hyung knows the hardships of living another country very well, and doesn’t want them to experience the hardships he had faced, so he’s always wanting to help them more so that they can get used to living in China as soon as possible.

Hyung’s home is in Beijing, and isn’t very far from our dorm. Hyung’s mother has 2 very famous dumpling restaurants. We’ve all eaten there, everyone loves Han Mama’s dumplings. So Hyung always remembers to bring delicious food to share with us in the dorm when he goes home. In the dorm, besides Ryeowook’s cooking, we always eat take-out. When we get tired of the taste of take-out food, the food that hyung brought back comforts us greatly. Han Mama always remembers us, and worries that we’re not used to living here, so she makes many different Chinese dishes for Han Geng hyung to bring to us.

Han Geng hyun said that now that he’s the leader of M, he experienced a lot of stress that Super Junior’s leader Leeteuk hyung felt in Korea. Some people want us to compare SJ-M’s leader Han Geng hyung with Super Junior’s leader Leeteuk hyung. We really have nothing to say, because the environment is different and the matters they deal with are different. But the members are thankful of the love and caring hearts of the two hyungs as leaders. Leeteuk hyung is Super Junior’s leader forever, while Han Geng hyung is SJ-M’s leader forever.