Broadcast dates: Dec. 5-6
Starring: Tomorrow X Together, GOT7, Seventeen, Taemin

(Naver’s V Live)

Soobin of Tomorrow X Together celebrated his 20th birthday on Saturday, broadcasting on V Live to talk with fans.

Group leader Soobin appeared in a fluffy gray pajamas gown.

“This was a present from Hueningkai,” Soobin said, flapping what looked like bunny ears on the gown’s hood.

Behind him on the wall were pictures of Soobin with words reading “Happy Birthday,” decorated by staff members of the group’s agency Big Hit Entertainment in celebration of his special day.

Soobin said he’d spent hours on fandom platform Weverse and Twitter reading celebratory messages from fans.

“The expression ‘the birthday of warm snowflake Soobin’ was really pretty,” he said.

He also noted the nickname “our home,” coined by foreign fans.

“I read that they call me ‘our home’ because my nickname ‘Soob’ when written in Korean letters looks like the shape of a house,” he explained.

Amid the livestream, four bandmates -- Yeonjun, Beomgyu, Taehyun and Hueningkai -- came into the room in surprise with a cake and candles, singing the birthday song.

“I think this is the third or fourth time these guys have celebrated by birthday,” Soobin said, still smiling.

Having received a lot of calls from people, especially from those he had become estranged from due to their busy schedules, Soobin said he had a chance to look back on the year and the time that had passed so fast.

“I felt that this year had gone by especially fast, maybe because I didn’t do much. It’s really shameful and I feel like I didn’t make the best out of the year,” he said.

Watch the full clip at https://www.vlive.tv/video/226786.



GOT7 members share personal thoughts

(Naver’s V Live)

GOT7 conducted interviews while doing a jacket photo shoot.

When asked to define himself in one word, Bam Bam defined himself as a stone.

“A stone doesn’t seem special on the outside, but when you crack it open, there are so many colors inside. I think I’m like that -- small yet strong and holding something inside,” he explained.

To the same question, Jinyoung defined himself as a question mark.

“I wouldn’t have been able to answer the question before, but right now, I think I’m going through a period of life where I can’t really look at myself properly,” he said, adding it’s a question mark that hopes to become an exclamation mark.

His answer to the question seemed to be in line with his answer to the next question.

Asked whether there’s something he wanted others to know about himself, Jinyoung answered to the negative without hesitation.

“During the recent four to five months of hiatus, I felt that I didn’t really know about myself. If I had been focused on finding out how I could be portrayed on others, I think I’m currently getting to know myself, so right now, I don’t have any expectations from others.”

With the process ongoing, Jinyoung revealed that the recent few months of hiatus has greatly helped him.

“I was anxious at first, thinking, ‘how would I be able to show myself to the fans if I didn’t know about myself?’ So during those months when I couldn’t be with the fans, I had time to get to know myself better. I think the time has made me more confident,” Jinyoung said.

More interviews with GOT7 behind the scenes for the jacket shoot were revealed in the second episode of “Breath of Love: Last Piece.”

Watch the full clip at https://www.vlive.tv/video/226655.



Seventeen Jeonghan goes live

(Naver’s V Live)

Seventeen’s Jeonghan went live to chat with fans.

“I ate lunch with Seungkwan and we’ve been watching TV until now,” Jeonghan said. Seungkwan’s voice could be heard in the background, but he did not appear on camera.

During the livestream, Dino called Seungkwan and spoke with Jeonghan through the phone.

According to Jeonghan, Seungkwan and he had a bit of beer the previous night, relaxing together.

“That’s strange, Seungkwan almost never asks to drink,” Dino said, enviously saying they should also hang out together next time.

“I envy you guys, but I’m also disappointed at Seungkwan,” Dino said jokingly, with Seungkwan grumbling in the background.

Jeonghan casually spoke with fans, sharing fun episodes from his recent daily life and replying to comments.

Watch the full clip at https://www.vlive.tv/video/226779.



Taemin hints at 2020 MAMA, reacts to Kai solo debut

(Naver’s V Live)

Taemin tuned into V Live inside his car on his way home.

He seemed warm and comfortable, covered in a fluffy blanket.

He started off the chat asking fans about some bubbly sounds coming up from the shower drain.

“I live alone so I have to deal with this stuff myself,” Taemin said, asking fans what they think is the source of the mysterious sound and how he should deal with it.

Taemin said Minho had just called, saying he would also be watching Taemin’s broadcast.

“Our members (of SHINee) are talking to each other a lot these days,” he said. “Minho would tell me to reply faster.”

Taemin showed huge anticipation for the recent solo debut of Kai, who is a close friend and fellow artist at agency S.M. Entertainment. Kai of K-pop group EXO dropped his first solo album “KAI” on Monday.

“Did you guys watch Kai’s ‘Mmmh’ stage? I really love one of the choreographies where he does the wave. He’s going to get better and better and I’m really looking forward to other stages,” Taemin said

With the agency’s biggest star BoA’s most recent album also just out, Taemin didn’t forget to mention her.

“Her stages and songs are amazing. We all know that she’s a great singer,” he said. BoA on Tuesday dropped her 10th full-length album “Better,” which also marks 20 years since her official debut.

“Please vote for me on MAMA. Today is the last day,” Taemin said in English especially to foreign fans, adding in Korean, “the stages are going to be very new. Although I’ve only seen my stage, I’m expecting the whole show is going to boast an unprecedented quality.”

This year’s Mnet Asia Music Awards ceremony is slated to air Sunday at 6 p.m. on Mnet.

Talking about the show, he said, “My stage was inspired from the word ‘king,’” adding, “I tried to realize what our fans would have imagined when they referred to me as ‘King Taemin.’”

Watch the full clip at https://www.vlive.tv/video/226775.


Naver’s real-time broadcasting app V allows fans to interact with their favorite K-pop stars through live broadcasts. The app is available for Android and iOS. For more information, visit http://www.vlive.tv.

By The Korea Herald (khnews@heraldcorp.com)

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