"Trusted, listened-to performers" Monsta X (MONSTA X) members Kihyun, Hyungwon and Jooheon drew attention with a cheerful and candid talk.
Recently, Kihyun, Hyungwon and Jooheon appeared as guests on the YouTube content "Jipdaesung." The three chatted about a wide range of topics, from MC Daesung of BigBang (BIGBANG) and military stories to behind-the-scenes of their new album.
That day, the four, who greeted each other forcefully with a military song in a shelter remodeled from an actual military unit, showed tremendous energy from the start. When Jooheon asked, "It feels exactly like the barracks, so I'm curious why we're doing a talk here," Daesung joked, "Watching Monsta X's own content, everyone seemed to have pride in their military service," drawing laughter.
Jooheon showed friendliness by calling Daesung, who had served earlier as an instructor in the same Hwacheon, "senior," and created rapport by demonstrating drill movements. In response, Kihyun and Hyungwon, who served in the military band, also showcased military band–style drill, arousing interest.
The full-fledged talk began, and Jooheon's story about winning first place in his corps was shared. He said, "I participated in a competition called 'Choejeongye 300' and took first place in the 'combat casualty treatment' category, receiving a commendation from the corps commander." Daesung deeply empathized, saying the instructors must have had many hardships, and a scene where Kihyun and Hyungwon were left out was played for laughs.
Afterward, Hyungwon revealed that he received reward leave for various performances during his military service, and Kihyun confessed, "I performed more than 300 times over a year and six months, and because I was the only vocalist, I had to handle MCing, dancing and singing, so it was hard." Kihyun also said, "I enlisted relatively late and served with friends a decade younger, but I didn't want to lose, so I pushed myself for a month and even earned the special warrior award," attracting attention.
Meanwhile, when Kihyun and Hyungwon said, "We hardly ate late-night snacks or PX food," Jooheon was surprised and revealed, "When trainees fell asleep, the instructors always ate late-night snacks together," introducing his PX "favorite recipe," a combination of spaghetti cup noodles and rabokki, which earned praise from the members and Daesung.
The four also recalled Monsta X's activities in 2015 during the "Trespass" era when they first met. Kihyun said, "I still vividly remember the seniors from BigBang in the waiting room mimicking the chorus 'deureoga hwakhwak' back then," conveying the emotion of the time, and added, "Now we try to be that kind of senior to our juniors," creating a warm atmosphere.
They also continued discussing the new album "The X (THE X)." When asked how they prepared the album after discharge, Hyungwon said, "I went straight to the studio on the day I was discharged, and I joined meetings even during leave," prompting Daesung's admiration. The members said about the title track "N the Front," "We liked the demo so much as soon as we heard it that we felt we didn't need to change much," revealing it was a destined song.
Kihyun said, "For the 10th anniversary album, I wanted to try something different. So the pre-release track 'Do What I Want' was a concept we couldn't have expected from previous Monsta X." Jooheon added, "At first I was worried a lot about the new challenge, but when I thought that something new opens up when you take on a new challenge, I found the courage," further explaining the album's meaning.
Finally, Daesung said he had seen it on Monsta X's own content "Mon Meok-eodo Go" and challenged the members to the "Pony game" and the "Super Mario game." Jooheon raised the tempo with the chant "dagdak dagdak," increasing the difficulty and delivering Monsta X–style fun, heating up the atmosphere until the end, and they exchanged promises to do game content together, ending on a cheerful note.
Meanwhile, Monsta X, which includes Kihyun, Hyungwon and Jooheon, is actively promoting the title track "N the Front" from their new mini album "The X (THE X)."
[Photo] YouTube channel "Jipdaesung" capture
[OSEN]