ELLE Korea Magazine — Kang Hyewon and Jo Yuri Full Interview Translation
Kang Hyewon International (KHWINTL)
Throughout this time, I felt like my heart was healed by these two close friends. During the shoot, Yuri told me it was like visiting an amusement park.
Yuri: When you go on roller coasters or rides, you feel excited. I guess that’s why I said that without realizing it.
Hyewon: When I heard that Yuri and I were going to have a photoshoot, I called her to say, “We’re going to have a photoshoot together!” It’s more fun than I expected.
You first met at auditions three years ago, right? What was your first impression of each other?
Yuri: I remember seeing Hyewon unnie, even among all of the people, and telling the people I was with, “Isn’t the person sitting over there really pretty?”
Hyewon: I thought Yuri would be cute and quiet, but turns out she isn’t quiet. And she’s even cuter now than I initially thought she was.
Was there a point in your relationship where you felt more open with each other and thought your friendship could last a long time?
Hyewon: There were many times when I sat next to Yuri on planes when we were traveling for overseas schedules. We talked about many things during those flights and naturally got closer since then.
Yuri: That’s right. Being able to get really close to each other without any special occasions is truly a special kind of relationship.
Both of you recently opened your own SNS accounts. How would you like to use it?
Hyewon: Of course, I want to communicate with everyone a lot. In the past, I usually showed myself on stage or during schedules, but I want to share my daily life or my usual appearance with everyone on social media.
Yuri: The same goes for me. The biggest goal is to exchange greetings and interact with fans.
Hyewon met with her fans by releasing her first photobook “Beauty Cut”, and Yuri participated in the drama OST “Story of Us”. Do you contact each other to talk about your recent activities?
Hyewon: We share feedback with each other often, even when we post something new on Instagram. We say things like “This picture is cute!” or “I think this came out well.” (laughs) I remember contacting Yuri during my first solo fan meeting. She asked me to write a message on the photobook and give it to her, so I didn’t forget it.
Yuri: The photos that were released were so pretty that I really wanted to have a special version with her comment. She said that the OST that I sang was really good, she even added it on her playlist.
Hyewon is know to be good at taking pictures while conversely, Yuri is the opposite.
Yuri: Yes, that’s why I feel like I’ve grown when Hyewon unnie tells me that I took this picture well (laughs). I’m not good at taking selfies, but I don’t like taking them myself anyway, so Hyewon unnie took a lot of pictures for me.
Even though Yuri finished her individual shoot, she didn’t change her clothes and waited for Hyewon to finish instead. Do you feel you got close because you’re similar to each other? Maybe you’re drawn to each other because of your differences?
Hyewon: We’re the type of people who got close because we’re similar. I don’t know if it’s anything in particular, but it’s really fun when she’s around. When we share videos that we think the other might find funny or entertaining, and we have a high probability of laughing and smiling because our sense of humor seems to be a good match.
Yuri: I watched the drama called “Kantaro: The Sweet Tooth Salaryman” and I thought she would like it, so I told her to watch it, and she did. People get happy when they watch something they like, right? I recommend things that make me feel good because I want to share that feeling with her.
Hyewon grew up in Yangsan, North Gyeongsang Province, and Yuri grew up in Busan. Is there ever an understanding or kinship that comes from having the same background?
Hyewon: When we’re talking about local restaurants (laughs)? Whenever Yuri goes down to Busan and eats at a restaurant I recommended, I feel proud.
Yuri: Right, let’s say I go near Gwangalli tomorrow, I would ask her which restaurants would be good. Her list of good restaurants rarely fails.
If the two of you have watched each other’s growth, have there been any unexpected charms that you’ve learned about the other personally?
Hyewon: When Yuri plays jokes or pranks, she’s just very funny, but when she writes songs and sings, she does really well. She’s good at playing the piano, too. When she played her own song, I thought, “Ah, Yuri must have always been like this!” and got surprised.
Yuri: It’s less common now, but a lot of people thought she would be cold because she’s quiet. She’s not like that at all. She’s such a sweet person!
What are you interested in these days? What are you spending your time on?
Yuri: I moved recently and I’m having a little fun decorating my place. While living alone, I want to hang blue curtains. I have my own dreams and they’re fun to realize one by one.
Hyewon: No matter how much I think about it, I haven’t started anything new recently. I’ve just been playing games.
What do you think is your strength or secret weapon as an artist?
Yuri: I don’t have a fear of trying new things or challenging myself. As an artist, I think it works well for me. I recently challenged myself to study acting. I thought it would be good to experience various things.
Hyewon: Strong mentality! I can do what I’m given and what I have to do, without being tied to or brought down by anything.
Do you compliment each other easily? The closer people are, the more embarrassing it is to compliment friends.
Yuri: I am embarrassed, but we say what we have to say. There was a performance where I prepared hard because I worried a lot about it. Afterwards, I got a call from Hyewon unnie saying, “Yuri, you did a good job.” And it’s an even greater comfort to me when she says things like, “Hey, you’re going to do even better after time!”
Hyewon: She was so touched. I didn’t know she would remember all of that. When I was monitoring myself, I felt better when Yuri said, “No, you’re pretty!” when I was not satisfied with myself.
I guess the more compliments you get, the better you both do.
Yuri: Absolutely. Because I push myself too hard, the people around me become too focused on my shortcomings. When people around me tell me I did a good job, I feel more confident, even when I’m not feeling confident on my own!
Hyewon: That’s right. Yuri is really like that. I also get more energy when I get compliments.
Do you have an ideal relationship or friendship role model?
Hyewon: Our seniors, Hyeri and Rosé! They look really close and supportive of each other, so it seems like a good friendship.
Yuri: For me, it’s our seniors, Yoo Inna and IU. Even in the eyes of third parties, you can feel how close they are and how comfortable they are when they are together, which makes even the viewer feel better. I always thought it was an ideal relationship.
Do you agree that it takes effort to maintain a relationship?
Yuri: The people around me so far are people I want to keep seeing. So I’m either good at replying to Kakaotalk messages or trying my best to send first.
Hyewon: I want to take good care of people who show affection to me and care about me. I’m not the type to contact first, but I’m sure the other person will feel and understand my sentiment as well.
So then, what you want to do for your relationship is?
Yuri: Why don’t we just stay the way we are? Where no one says things like, “I’m not comfortable with this kind of prank. That’s a little childish, let’s not do this!”
Hyewon: She said “let’s not do this” (laughs). That’s right, since not everyone want to grow up all that quickly, I think we can stay like this.