On the 19th, I met MXM at Wikitree’s office in Seoul Jeong-dong. The two of them sat down first with a company representative and were in the meeting room. The moment I opened the door and came in, I was greeted with Youngmin and Donghyun who were wearing white and black.

Q: I feel like your lives probably changed a lot after ‘Produce 101 Season 2’.

Youngmin: It’s all new experiences… Right now, we’re recording, talking about our album jacket and concepts, and discussing team names too~ (Q: Is your concept white and black?) Haha. Ah. These are just our own clothes… But we fit well like that ^_^ Hahaha.”

Q: It seems like the two of your preferences are similar. Your hairstyles are very similar too.

(Both nod at the same time)

Youngmin: I think the way we dress is really similar~ Ah, I like hip-hop or street brands, but Donghyun usually liked dandy or somewhat casual looks, but we would look at clothes together and say ‘This is pretty. That’s pretty too’, and it naturally became similar.”

Donghyun: Ah, yes (infinite nodding)

Q: Then I’ll ask a question about your unit. Your unit name!! Who made it?

Donghyun: Our CEO (In a very quiet voice)

Q: How do you like it? Your unit name?

Youngmin: It’s nice. I like it. The meaning is very deep, so I really like it and I think it fits well with our situation…

Q: What do you think the reactions of fans will be after your unit name is revealed?

Youngmin: Uh~ What is this. I think they’ll think it’s really random. Because they would have had to been prepared by thinking ‘Ah! That’s right, it was this’ from what we’ve shown, but… To be honest, we were given the team name suddenly while we were preparing too. I feel like fans will feel some way because it’s something fans didn’t expect at all either. But like any other team, it’s awkward at first when a team name is shown. I think the best way to think about it is for us to gradually fit into these clothes and look more natural.

Q: What were some other names that were candidates?

Youngmin: Just going with Brand New Boys as is… But I think it became MXM almost instantly.

Q: Fitting with your name, I feel like this single will be something different. When I think of Brand New, I think of hip-hop, so please introduce your single.

Youngmin: Although we came out with the team name of ‘Mix and Match’, our album name is UNMIX. I don’t know if you have seen it, but our tendencies are very different. Our characters too. We’re showing the chemistry between two people like that. Even in the album, it’s just us for the first time… After being separated from the Brand New Boys friends and only showing our sides on ‘Produce 101’, we have to now show this side. Also, many people seem to be curious about how we will do both hip-hop and be an idol, but our basic motto is to have a motif of being bright like an ‘idol’, but show a variety of genres in music without having any restrictions… We worked hard in putting a variety of genres in this album in order to show the feeling of ‘Oh~ You guys can do this too?’.

Donghyun: (Nod nod) (Sparkling eyes)

Q: What kind of song is your debut single?

Donghyun: They’re not completely different tracks. One song (GOOD DAY) was written by Lee Daehwi and one song (I JUST DO) was written by me and a producer helped. I played it before during a V App. If you look at it one way, the lyrics can seem like it’s talking about love, but in another way, it could also be words I want to say towards fans.”

Q: Then what are the words you want to say most to fans right now?

Donghyun: I’m always thankful, so… Thank you for supporting and loving me, and I will work hard. Something like that.

Youngmin: We’re giving back…. We used to be trainees with an indefinite plan, but we didn’t even imagine that we would receive this much love. So I’m infinitely thankful towards all of the love right now. But rather than just be thankful, we had strong thoughts in wanting to give back in any way possible, so by giving back with this song~ and this album in general, we are also introducing by saying ‘Our music is like this’.

Q: I heard that you filmed a lot of photoshoots and advertisements?

Donghyun & Youngmin: (Confused) No. That’s ㅠ

Q: Then is there a photoshoot concept you want to do?

Youngmin: Since I normally enjoy hip-hop, I want to do a photoshoot that gives off somewhat of a hip-hop feel. Something really hip-hop-like ㅋㅋ (Is excited and happy)

Donghyun: Since it’s summer right now ㅋㅋ Something summer-like?! Coolly~ I’ve always wanted to try it and honestly, if given the opportunity, I think I can work hard in anything and do well. (Bows)

Q: What about for advertisements?

Donghyun: This is… to be honest… (acts shy) something only top stars do, but since we were trainees, maybe when we do well. Something like a coffee commercial. Ah! Or a ramen commercial too.

Q: Ah, Donghyun likes eating, right?

Youngmin: He’s 1st place in eating among Brand New ㅋㅋㅋ. If someone sees him eating, they end up wanting to eat to. I don’t really have an appetite, but when I see Donghyun eating, I feel ‘Oh, I want to eat too’.

Q: Then a question. If Donghyun had to pick between Spicy Crab Stew or Fried Rice, what would you choose?

Donghyun had the most serious look on his face and couldn’t speak for a bit.

Donghyun: Um… This is a really hard question. ㅠㅠ

In the end, he wasn’t able to pick.

Q: There’s a program that idols go through once they debut, but what kind of program do you want to go on?

At the same time: If you just call us, we can go on any show~

The representatives there started to applaud. When I asked “What program?” once more, they answered.

Donghyun: I want to go on something tasty like ‘The Expedition of Food’. Or ‘Tasty Guys’ ㅋㅋ Or ‘One Night Food Trip’!! Did I really only say eating things ㅠㅠ

Youngmin: For me, ‘Running Man’? Something with games or sports. I’ve also never traveled before, so I think a travel program would be good too. Rather than a talk show where I have to talk ㅋㅋㅋ

Q: What do you think will have changed the most once you debut?

Youngmin: My life itself has already changed. But in my thoughts and mind, the feeling that I’m a trainee is still strong. So I always introduce myself as a trainee.

Donghyun: The pattern is basically the same. It was always the practice room to the dorms, but coming to an interview like this is a change. It feels like an event forms one-by-one? And I receive sunlight during the day too.

Q: Seems like the two of you don’t have that much of a difference in height.

Youngmin: Around 1 cm difference?

When I saw them in person, the heights of these two exceeded 180 cm. Donghyun was happy in saying that he grew. He seemed to be the happiest at this time during the interview.

Q: Do you know Chinese? (A video of them speaking Chinese recently garnered interest)

Youngmin: (Whispers) No. I’m diligently memorizing it right now. Because we just started studying. I normally started studying Chinese characters on my own, but now we’re doing it at the company. But for now, all I know is how to say my name.

The two of them whispered for a long time as they talked about the Chinese phrases that they memorized recently.

Q: Then your skills in Chinese are pretty much the same, right?

Youngmin: You can just think that we have none ㅠㅠ

Donghyun: Ah

Q: You use a dialect in your speech, right? Your accent is a bit unique.

Youngmin: I’m a mix of proper and dialect where when I usually try to speak in a Busan dialect, it doesn’t work, and when I try to speak in a Seoul dialect, I can’t. I wanted to fix my dialect when I was 20 years old, so I kept only using proper speech, but since I wasn’t able to use my Busan dialect, my speaking amount decreased. So I thought ‘I don’t like that. Let’s just talk’, and now I’m using dialect again, but this isn’t even Busan dialect nor is it proper speech. It just ended up that way.

Q: Daejeon (Donghyun’s hometown) doesn’t have a dialect, right?

Donghyun: It doesn’t really have…

Youngmin: No, but ㅋㅋ Donghyun has his own Donghyun dialect. He can pronounce the ‘ㄹ’ sound, but he has an accent on it ㅋㅋㅋ

He showed me an example by saying ‘lemon’ and ‘lens’.

Donghyun: My ‘ㄹ’ sound is on top. Le↗mon. Le↗ns. But it’s not just me. My twin brother is like this too. Our parents can do it well though. It’s just the two of us.

Q: Youngmin said that he doesn’t really have an appetite, but is there a dish you enjoy eating these days?

Youngmin: I do eat well, but I can handle being hungry well. I ate a lot in middle school and high school, but while exercising, I thought that I shouldn’t eat and that became a habit, so even if I’m hungry, I don’t think ‘Ah~ I want to eat that’.

Donghyun, who was next to him, said “He’s a person I can’t understand.” And Youngmin replied with, “Donghyun really doesn’t gain weight compared to the amount he eats.”

Q: What’s your drinking capacity?

Both of them looked at each other and said, “Our drink capacity is a bottle and a half of soju.” They said that they couldn’t drink alcohol at all recently.

Q: Do you drive?

Youngmin: Yes! I know how to drive. (Proud expression on his face)

Donghyun: I don’t have a license ㅋㅋ

Q: Also, I saw Youngmin the moment I came in, but it seems like you’re not layering your T-shirts lately?

Youngmin: I normally do it, but when I wear two layers like this, I don’t do it and since it’s hot, if I’m wearing only a T-shirt, I layer it. But on a day like this where I’m wearing a long-sleeved shirt, I don’t layer. I actually layered clothes since I was in elementary school. To be honest, I didn’t know there would be such a big reaction to it. I think about the point color when I layer.

Donghyun: He seems to have a lot of interest in clothes and cares about it a lot. When I see hyung, I think ‘He’s a hyung who layers a lot’. Thanks to that, I layer a lot too.

Q: What about Youngmin’s item of affection, your necklace?

Youngmin: This is similar with the layering, but because my neck is long… Donghyun probably thought of the nickname ‘Alpaca’ because my neck is long too.

Donghyun: His neck was part of it too, but it’s because he looks somewhat soft. (T/N: This phrase doesn’t have a direct translation, but just imagine a cloud.)

Youngmin: I don’t wear V-necks either. That’s also a reason why I do layering. If I look in the mirror and my necklace isn’t there, I feel sad. I like accessories too. I have a piercing and I’m always wearing a bracelet.

Q: Will Donghyun follow his hyung?

Donghyun: Nope! (Straightforward) ㅋㅋ Necklaces are uncomfortable for me. I feel like they don’t suit me.

Q: If you had to choose between layering or your necklace?

Youngmin: Ah~~ Hoo~~ (He didn’t speak for 10 seconds) I have a method. If I don’t wear a necklace, I have to do layers. And if I don’t layer, then I have to wear a necklace ㅠㅠ” In the end, he chose the necklace for just the summer.

Q: Your tastes are very different, but do you not fight?

Youngmin: Because we have a large difference in our age…

Donghyun: One day, I will ㅋㅋㅋ

Q: Donghyun. Do you have any plans in making abs?

Donghyun: I like exercising. I have plans to make abs. I used to have them, but they disappeared since I haven’t exercised lately ㅠㅠ

Youngmin: Now all that’s left are the remains.

Q: I heard you guys have cute acts saved up, but when will we be able to see them?

Donghyun: I feel like I know what you’re saying. When we did V App for the first time, fans asked us to show cute acts, but we didn’t really know how to do the ‘jeojang’ cute action, so we said we would show it at another time. I’m guessing that’s what they want to see the most…

Youngmin: There’s something I’ve been researching lately, but ㅠㅠ It’s really a big research for me… I am doing it, but to be honest… ㅠㅠ I can’t think of any. Because I’m not really! good at doing cute acts. Because I’m a Busan male of 3 brothers. Even so, I still show the most cuteness to my parents at home, but I also don’t really talk at Busan either. My older and younger brother don’t really talk either, so my family was very surprised about me going on this route. Because I’m completely not the type too… But I’m definitely trying right now.

Q: I feel like Donghyun will have a lot of cuteness though? (The two of them started bickering for a long time)

Youngmin: He’s good at it~

Donghyun: I’m good at it, but showing those cute acts is hard

Youngmin: But he’s still good at it

Donghyun: No~~~

Q: Is there an artist you like these days?

Donghyun: I like Crush sunbaenim these days. Also Madilyn Bailey, Ed Sheeran, and Jason Mraz.

Youngmin: The style I have fallen into is Sik-K. Because I like hip-hop like that, I enjoy listening to types like Crush sunbaenim and AOMG sunbaenims. Also Drake and GoldLink.

Q: What’s your favorite movie genre?

Donghyun: I like space! Sci-Fi movies. Actually, I’m not picky about genres, but I watch space movies often.

Youngmin: I like movies with a twist or a moral. I like movies that make you think about it once more even after it ends.

Q: Donghyun, fans have a lot of interest in your hair, but do you like having your forehead covered or having comma hair?

Donghyun: I still prefer comma hair. The reason behind that is when I first showed myself, I had comma hair and fans like it a lot too. That comma hair.

Q: Donghyun, why did you cross-dress as a girl for your graduation photo?

Donghyun: I did some musical when I was younger. At that time, I cross-dressed. My friends were talking about it and suggested for me to try cross-dressing again and that they would lend me a school uniform, so they made me wear it. I was forced to, but fans seemed to like it.”

Q: Where is Gomdongie? (T/N: Donghyun’s MCM bear from Ma Boy)

Donghyun: Ah~ Gomdongie is always sitting at the edge of my bed ♥ I’ll bring him out next time.

Youngmin used to not have dolls on his bed, but he says that he has a few now. And said, “I placed ones I received as gifts.”

With the question about Gomdongie, MXM’s interview came to an end. As soon as the interview was finished, the two of them smiled brightly and took their take-out coffee that they were holding and happily went outside. All that was left in their seats was the heart to become a fan ♥

TRANS. CR: BRANDNEWBOYS.WORDPRESS.COM (@WOOJINPRK)

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