A boy with a face that could have been the main character from an innocent anime approached. With yellow wavy hair, a pale face and big eyes I was reminded of a young prince. The cutest one from the new group B.A.P, it is maknae Zelo.
At their fancafe or music shows, when their fans recognize and cheer B.A.P on, he truly feels that they are loved. “Sometimes I check out the posts that fans put on blogs. Through this I can learn what the fans really liked in which aspect and because I am able to feel the hearts of our fans, I am truly happy.”
We wondered if the very young maknae would rather be able to allowed to play (T/N: as in fool around). “The aspect of school life and meeting with friends is something I have to give up. In order to achieve my dreams, I think of this as inevitable. I’m mainly a fan of my hyungs who I’m close with. And in the future as we continue our activities I want to get to know and become close with artists my age” he says, revealing his thoughts.
Like the others, Zelo says B.A.P’s charm is their distinct appearance. Each of the members on the team were actively involved while working on their album and tryied to show their individual colours. Because of that, they were able to release a great album and in the future, with more effort and by working harder, he hopes to show even better performances.
Unlike those who are of similar age as him, Zelo seems reliable and able to express himself freely. Embarrassed from the compliment he says while laughing “It must be because of my height” and we could feel his innocence. “Even though I am younger than the fans, please call me “oppa” (laughs). People tell me I am mature for my age. I’m thankful for those who see me in that way.’
He told us that the member he was closest to is Jongup. “Of course we are all close but I’m very close with Jongup hyung. I’m our team’s youngest member, but me and Jongup hyung both do maknae things together. If i did it alone, I think it would have been hard but doing it together is really fun. With the two of us chatting and contemplating our worries together, I think we have grown really close.”
In elementary school everyone dreamed of one day becoming an entertainer, and Zelo was one of them. He tells that his other dream was to become a soccer player, but during elementary school he became more interested in music and he started to train to become a singer.
While trying to become a singer, his parents seriously objected to it. We wondered how he was able to convince his parents. “I was living in the Mokpo area, and I was able to sing the opening song for our local cable broadcast. I skipped my tutoring and went and lined up for a contest, but I guess my parents secretly followed me. Yet my parents understood how I felt and gave me their consent. The participation fee was 20 thousand won yet my parents paid it all (laughs).”
Zelo has had a long trainee life for his young age. “At our current agency I prepared for one year, and at other places where I’ve been at I prepared for about five years. My house is in Mokpo, which is far away, so I had to take a round trip to Seoul every time. Thinking back to it now, I really don’t know how I endured it but back then it really wasn’t that difficult. I was learning how to dream and it made me happy that I could continue to dream. Of course, because everything I did back then was so crazy I think that’s how I became a member of B.A.P”
Although he is still young, we still asked him about his ideal type. “I like smart girls. Good at areas where I’m weak at. Recently, people who can speak english well, I find them as impressive. And I like a person who looks pretty when smiling.”
He doesn’t know yet because hasn’t dated anyone yet, Zelo shyly confesses. The love he receives from fans is sufficient he says smiling.
“We’ve got a long way to go. Not hastily, I want to go at a modest pace.” He says. Zelo reveals his aspirations is of wanting to gain popularity for his rapping as well as his mania dancing. While looking out for the image that he says he will put much efforts into, we also look forward to B.A.P’s future
Source: BNTNEWS
Trans: kitty-kwon @ tumblr / daehyunswarrior @ BAP UNIVERSE
Asian Entertainment 