In the movie <Inside Llewyn Davis>, the main character Llewyn Davis is an unnamed, penniless folk musician. He has no clothes, let alone a home, and moves from house to house of acquaintances without even having a coat to wear in winter. Things don't seem to work out, and some days he is even beaten by drunk people for no reason, but the reason why he endures his daily life is because he has a dream - a dream of becoming a musician.
Even if it's not much of a shining dream, we all, even the writer myself, have small dreams, too. But most of the time we tend to idle in place. We try to keep our head high, but our tired heads just keep heading down. And so I think. Our dreams are like planets, the bigger the force, the more it holds me back. We can't get close to each other because of the large and strong light, but we don't have the courage to move away, so we wander around as small satellites. It's like a theory of physics we learned in school. We're heading forward, but my trajectory feels like going around in circles.
But someone would break that brutal equilibrium and get one step closer to the goal. It may be due to someone pulling one out with a stronger force, or it may be the result of one stepping out of the current state. The audition program <LOUD> was a story about stars, orbiting around their dreams of debut trying to reach out for their dreams. With the help of world star PSY, the six boys of TNX have already become artists in their second year, releasing their second album.
We meet with the older members of TNX – Kyung Jun and Tae Hun.
1. Siege
SBS KPOP) After the first album, you made a comeback with a double title after a nine-month absence. The song’s highteen mood really stands out. Some people were surprised that its style was entirely different from the first album.
) The direction we've been aiming for since our debut was a performance where emotions and rigidity coexist. We wanted to give our generation the courage and show them how we challenge, overcome, and grow. The challenge was the limitations of each of our members and the uncertain future ahead of us.
) While the first album tried to express our strength to moving forward, this time we wanted to show the more emotional parts to it. It may look like complete opposites, but I think our team is still on our way to finding the true color of TNX.
) While the first album tried to express our strength to moving forward, this time we wanted to show the more emotional parts to it. It may look like complete opposites, but I think our team is still on our way to finding the true color of TNX.
Could this be what a professional second-year idol looks like? I was a little surprised by the skillful and flawless answer. I decided to push a little further to get a more honest story.
SBS KPOP) Hearing the keyword challenge, the title song <MOVE> comes to mind. We were able to see the rebellious mood of TNX trying to escape from the watchers. Is being called ‘PSY’s kids’ the challenge TNX is trying to overcome?
Tae Hun) It may be a framework, but it's the strongest support for us. Our CEO, PSY, always wants us to succeed as independent artists. I think the object our members are trying to escape from in <MOVE> is each of our individual limitations. We still have lot to learn, but we're always working hard to bring out the best passion and performance that we can show as artists.
Still a perfect, flawless answer. It is like a fortress in the Lord of the Rings that has never been captured. I thought this interview would not be easy because it felt like I was under a siege. Then, how were they like when they were ordinary people before becoming PROs.
2. A boy who ran sideways, a boy who ran straight
They are both currently pillars supporting the same team, but their start was somewhat different.
SBS KPOP) Taehun has dreamed of being an artist since elementary school. It might feel 'a little fast,’ but perhaps Taehun is a bit intuitive?
Tae Hun) I went on an elementary school field trip and participated in a talent show. That’s when I began to dream of becoming an idol because of the emotions I felt on stage at that time. Since I worked hard for my one and only dream from an early age, I guess there is an intuitive part to me(laugh).
SBS KPOP) Were there any objections from your parents?
Tae Hun) My parents didn't object much, and they've supported me a lot by helping me search for academies. But I found out later that when I told my mother that I wanted to do music, she showed tears because she was worried.
SBS KPOP) On the other hand, I was surprised that KyungJun’s dream was to be a surgeon when he was little. Have you always been good at studying?
Kyung Jun) When I was 5 years old, I moved to Australia and studied abroad for 10 years. When I was in Australia (laughing as if a little embarrassed), I studied well and was a student who loved math, science, and history. I especially liked math, and when I was in elementary school, I even participated in the Olympiads competition.
My mother loved crime/thriller genre dramas, and I was intrigued and interested in the human body when I saw the surgery scene in the drama I watched with my mother as a child. After I thought I wanted to become a surgeon, I studied harder, and even when playing games, I played games like ‘Operation Skill Game.’
△ Operation Skill Game. The object of the game is not to touch other parts of the body and carefully remove the cause of the disease.
SBS KPOP) A boy who dreamed of becoming a doctor suddenly decides to become an K-pop idol trainee. It wasn't easy, and seems like it was a big career move.
Kyung Jun) When I came to Korea, I had a major adjustment problem. When I left Australia after 10 years and came back to Korea at the age of 15, I felt like I was in a strange country. I didn't want to leave Australia, I didn't speak Korean, and I didn't feel confident about my studies, having to adjust to the new school. It was a time when I was thinking deeply about my future. Then, I was cast by chance, so I decided to give it a try. Since then, I've gone to academies to learn to dance, and I've joined the company and started practicing. That’s how I started to dream of becoming a celebrity. Since then, I have adapted to life in Korea. (“Were there any objections from your parents?”) My parents knew that I was struggling to adjust to life in Korea, so they supported my new dream.
Actually, I don't remember, but there is something that my mother told me. When I was very young, my mother and I ran into the producer Park Jin Young in a store in Korea, and he told me to audition later.
Over the course of a decade, the two meet as mentors and mentees in <LOUD>. It's like saying, “you're destined for K-pop.” But we all know. It was very unstable even from the beginning.
3. LOUD
SBS KPOP) I still remember the first performance <WIN> of P Nation. It was like a declaration saying, “We make the color of P Nation.”
Kyung Jun) Actually, the first performance we were going to prepare was a different song. Our performance teacher and our members thought that <WIN> would show our color better. So we filmed a video and showed it to the company to convince them why we should prepare to perform <WIN>.
Tae Hun) (laughing, thinking of back then) They say first impressions are important. Since it was our first performance, everyone at the company put a lot of thought and effort into it.
Tae Hun) (laughing, thinking of back then) They say first impressions are important. Since it was our first performance, everyone at the company put a lot of thought and effort into it.
SBS KPOP) P Nation had a great run, but your start wasn't smooth. In common, the stage was evaluated as 'like a robot' and 'stiff.’ The CEO was especially worried about you two before the performance.
Kyung Jun) Since I was the first and oldest trainee in the agency and was among the oldest in the team, I had to do well. But I didn’t do so well, so the CEO was very worried.
Tae Hun) In fact, the lack of emotional expression was a feedback that I've heard since the monthly evaluation before participating in the LOUD. (Slightly hesitant) Actually, after receiving poor feedback every evaluation in a row, I was gradually losing confidence in this path. I remember thinking, "Maybe music isn't my path anymore,” while I was driving home in my father's car after the monthly evaluation before LOUD.
Tae Hun) In fact, the lack of emotional expression was a feedback that I've heard since the monthly evaluation before participating in the LOUD. (Slightly hesitant) Actually, after receiving poor feedback every evaluation in a row, I was gradually losing confidence in this path. I remember thinking, "Maybe music isn't my path anymore,” while I was driving home in my father's car after the monthly evaluation before LOUD.
SBS KPOP) You must've received strong feedback.
Kyung Jun) I remember the CEO saying, “How long are you going to keep looking down?” I'm usually very shy and I'm not good at expressing things. It was frustrating, but I tried really hard to fix it, and now I'm able to convey what I want to express.
△ Interview with CEO PSY at the beginning of LOUD. I felt bad.
SBS KPOP) Is the CEO really scary? When asked in LOUD, “Is producer PSY scary?" Taehun said, "It's different every time."
Tae Hun) I think he is… quiet, calm, and cool-headed. That's why he sometimes looks scary when he's silent, but he's a generous CEO who puts a lot of affection into us.
Kyung Jun) I think he is… quiet, calm, and cool-headed. That's why he sometimes looks scary when he's silent, but he's a generous CEO who puts a lot of affection into us.
Tae Hun) The feedback from the CEO sometimes feels sharp. But in the end, I thought that feedback was necessary because it helped me grow more. He has always guided us in our inadequacy and waited for us until the end to allow us to realize and change ourselves.
Kyung Jun) In my case, I tried to fix my mental problems after thinking about it a lot. Whatever my personality is, I have to express my professional attitude on stage. I think it's a luxury to be embarrassed. Fortunately, the results gradually began to come out and I began to gain more confidence.
Kyung Jun) I think he is… quiet, calm, and cool-headed. That's why he sometimes looks scary when he's silent, but he's a generous CEO who puts a lot of affection into us.
Tae Hun) The feedback from the CEO sometimes feels sharp. But in the end, I thought that feedback was necessary because it helped me grow more. He has always guided us in our inadequacy and waited for us until the end to allow us to realize and change ourselves.
Kyung Jun) In my case, I tried to fix my mental problems after thinking about it a lot. Whatever my personality is, I have to express my professional attitude on stage. I think it's a luxury to be embarrassed. Fortunately, the results gradually began to come out and I began to gain more confidence.
In my case, I tried to fix my mental problems after thinking about it a lot. Whatever my personality is, I have to express my professional attitude on stage. I think it's a luxury to be embarrassed. Fortunately, the results gradually began to come out and I began to gain more confidence.
They said they had been trainees for a long time, and they were amateurs who had never been on stage. LOUD was a process in which amateurs became professionals, and the two were more fiercely refined on the brink. And eventually, he settled in the debut group.
SBS KPOP) When did you first hear the name TNX?
Kyung Jun) The CEO gathered us around and told us for the first time that we're going to debut under the name TNX.
Tae Hun) The CEO gathered us around and told us for the first time that we're going to debut under the name TNX.
Tae Hun) The CEO gathered us around and told us for the first time that we're going to debut under the name TNX.
Wow, Pigeon.
SBS KPOP) I think it would have been awkward in the beginning. Didn't you need time to get to know each other?
Tae Hun) We tried to get close by doing a lot of things together. Doing sports like futsal and bowling.
Kyung Jun) We watched a movie together at the dorm(laughs).
Tae Hun) Oh, we went on a trip to the outskirts by ourselves, and it remains a very good memory, so I want to go on another trip with the members someday.
Kyung Jun) We watched a movie together at the dorm(laughs).
Tae Hun) Oh, we went on a trip to the outskirts by ourselves, and it remains a very good memory, so I want to go on another trip with the members someday.
It wasn't a short interview. They both seemed very tired and when they began talking about the members, I could see that they were coming back to life.
4. It’s just one down.
SBS KPOP) Going back to the second album, you said you wanted to express your sentiments. In a way, it seems to be a vague expression, but where is the source of that emotion?
Tae Hun) (thought about it quietly) I tried to express this concept based on my intense trainee days and the experiences I felt during LOUD. That's why I think a lot about our members because they are the ones I’ve spent the most time with. When I think about it, the people whom I spent the most time with in my teenage years were our members, and there were times that I could endure because I was with them. We also think that everyone is living their lives intensely, so I hope that our songs can be a little relaxing in the midst of the intensity.
SBS KPOP) Is there anything else you would like to share with the members?
Tae Hun) Thank you so much for doing well. There will be times when we're upset, and it can be hard and frustrating, but since it's the first time for everyone, let's rely on each other and overcome it!
Kyung Jun) Thank you always, and let's continue to do well.
Kyung Jun) Thank you always, and let's continue to do well.
Lastly, I asked the two about their recent anxiety. In a different place than before, wouldn't there be new problems as things have changed?
Tae Hun) I'm still in the process of gaining experience, so I'm more excited than afraid or worried.
Kyung Jun) I still feel inadequate and am eager for growth. I think it's good pressure, and I'm trying to be a better me every day.
Kyung Jun) I still feel inadequate and am eager for growth. I think it's good pressure, and I'm trying to be a better me every day.
At the end of the day, I saw the image of a flawless idol.
Being in the middle of practice and survival, debut would have felt like the final destination for the two. But it was a new starting point, not a middle station. As Taehun said, TNX is now on the road to finding TNX's own music. Sometimes they take the lead and unyieldingly pour out their anger against the world, and sometimes they stand beside you and comfort you. It seems to be complete opposites, but the keyword of their journey is clear. It's that they are always heading towards “the present.” We are living in the same era as the members beside me today.
That's why we look forward to the day TNX finds their true color of music.
