As a guest on tvN‘s talk show Life Bar, Xiumin confessed that when he was in high school, he never really thought of pursuing a career as a singer.

I was originally preparing to take the entrance exam for a Physical Education college. I only sang as a hobby. — Xiumin

Xiumin wasn’t even going to go, but he was convinced by his friend to follow him to the SM Entertainment auditions.

One day, my friend asked me to go with him to the SM auditions. I asked ‘is it ok for me to audition? I’m not that good.’ He told me that SM doesn’t just look for skill, but also potential so its okay. He told me I was SM’s style. — Xiumin

Sadly, his friend did not pass the auditions. But Xiumin was grateful for the persuasion!

I went to the audition with my friend. But they only called my number for the interview process, and told everyone else to leave. If it wasn’t for my friend, I couldn’t have debuted with SM. Even now, I am sorry to him and grateful. — Xiumin

Xiumin then shared what made him join SM Entertainment after the auditions.

I joined SM Entertainment because of TVXQ — Xiumin

Xiumin revealed that he was a huge TVXQ fan, and he really looked up to them!

Changmin-hyung is my favorite senior. When I first met TVXQ, I froze. I wanted to obey everything they said. They were like gods to me. — Xiumin

Changmin, who was also a guest on the show, expressed his gratitude to his junior.

EXO is a group that is taking the world by storm. To have a person like that dream of becoming a singer because of us (TVXQ), it really is an honor. I am thankful because it feels like I helped a young man find his dream. — Changmin

Check out a clip from their segment below: