source: part 1 & part 2
trans from kr > en by @kimchaewon_kr (twt)
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"KWON EUNBI & KIM CHAEWON: Talking about the biggest differences between two people."
Eunbi and Chaewon are different. Visual, personality, preferences, there are no similarities between them. Their chemistry, however, strangely starts from those differences.
Girls of the polar opposites
Q. Seems like both of you don't really like coffee. Though it's a common rule to have ice americano in this kind of weather.
Chaewon: For me, I think I still don't know the taste of coffee well. (laughs) Unnie you can't drink coffee as well?Eunbi: I don't really like iced americano. I like sweet drinks the best.(laughs)
Q. A while ago all the staff are going to order 'AA' (t/n: 아이스 아메리카노/ais americano), but only the both of you who order the sugary milktea. (laughs)
Eunbi: I really like sweet stuffs. Even when we were promoting with IZ*ONE when everyone ordered Iced Americano, I'm the only one who ordered ade or milktea.
Q. This is your first time with Esquire Korea right? How is today's photoshoot?
Eunbi: I think it's really good that I can try concepts I never tried before. Every concept gives off different feeling so I really had fun filming today.
Chaewon: This is my first time with this kind of styling. I think it's really good to be able to show a completely different persona to fans, so I'm anticipating (this photoshoot) a lot.
Q. Since both of you in the some company, Woollim Ent., the fans called both of 'Woollimz' when you're together. Did you get know each other for the first time when you were trainees?
Chaewon: Eunbi-unnie trained earlier than I do. When we first met, she's the most senior (trainee) there. So naturally, it's hard for me to approach her due to her leader role between the trainees. Actually I was slightly scared by her. (laughs) At first we weren't really close because of it.
Eunbi: We trained together exactly for one year, then we debut together, and promote together as well so that's when we become closer. Since we're from the same company we do share similar concerns as well.
Q. So, Chaewon said her first impression of Eunbi is 'Scary' (laughs), what was your first impression of Chaewon?
Eunbi: Chaewon back then was way more quiet than she is right now. She's also a really calm person. There were times when I laugh, but there were also times when I had to practice again, I would whine, but her reaction was always the same. She only said 'Yes'. At first, it was not easy to get close to her, but now I'm used to her personality. (laughs)
Chaewon: Me too, I found Eunbi-unnie scary at first, but as I know more about her she's actually a cheerful and a bit of an airhead too. Sometimes she felt like she's younger than me. (laughs) As we spent more times together we show more of unexpected sides of us to each other and grow closer.
Q. As I'm interviewing you, I notice that both of you have completely different personalities.
Eunbi: Chaewon is really a quiet person. She doesn't talk much and only says things she really wanted to say. While I'm someone who talks a lot, have a lot of aegyo, and sort of a short-tempered person. Usually I would ask Chaewon 'let's play, let's play' with so much aegyo then she would respond with 'Sure.' a flat response like this? (laugh) So when Chaewon doesn't talk much I'll be the one who do the talk, when I'm having a hard time she will be the one who will calm me down, so I guess our opposite personality is actually a good combination, right?
Chaewon: Eunbi-unnie is more of a very passionate type of person than I do. Whenever she's doing something she has the extra energy and impulse to do it. I don't think I really have that. But we do have similarities as well. We're both the people who think a lot, Eunbi-unnie is the person who will act right after she thought of it, while I will think about the matter for a long time. Just like unnie said, at the end we're completing each other so we have a lot more fun together.
Q. Up till now, both of you still have yet to reveal your MBTI result. What is your MBTI result?
Eunbi: I'm the 'Bright and Lively Activist', ENFP. But, honestly I don't really bother about my MBTI. Because my fans asked me to do the test so I did and found out I'm ENFP, though I don't know what does that mean.
Chaewon: I think mine was ISFP. For me as well, I'm not really into the trend so I just did it recently. So this is my first time letting everyone know (laugh).
Q. Even the first category of both of your MBTI is completely different. Not just your personality, but your visual type appeared to be different as well.
Eunbi: That's true. Although, Chaewon is really cute, but she's taller than me while I look more mature I have shorter height than her. But isn't the unbalanced part of us is what make us have the 'unexpected charm'?
Chaewon: Me too, I felt our differences a lot. But since opposites do attract, as we're the exact opposite, don't we look good together? Maybe not unbalanced, but more of opposite ballance. (laugh)
Q. I heard that your food preferences are different as well.
Chaewon: Yes, we do. I'm a 'mint chocholate lover'. There were times when I go to buy ice cream I have a whole gallon only filled with mint chocholate flavor. That time Eunbi-unnie was so thrown off by that.
Eunbi: Ugh, tooth paste flavor. (laugh) I didn't realize till now, that there are a lot of foods I can't handle. Chicken feet, intestines, pork skin, blood sausage soup, I can't really eat these foods. When we were promoting as IZ*ONE we went to Japan a lot. The members really liked to eat foods like beef tripe soup or ramen with pork broth, but it really doesn't fit my palate so I don't eat it at all. So I always brought cup noodles from Korea, if we went there for a week I will bring 7 different types of cup noodles and eat it once a day. So I wonder if that's the reason I gain a bit of weight...
Chaewon: But once we're in Korea, we know what to eat so we always order separately and we don't really have problems about that. Though the other problem is we end up ordering too much food. (laugh)
Q. If you're not a singer, what kind of activity would you be doing right now?
Chaewon: As I become a singer, my personality changed a lot. I become more lively (after being a singer). I used to be a shy person, but as I'm promoting I get rid that part of me. So if I'm not a singer, I will be very different (than now). I used to think of wanting to be a stewardess, so if I'm not a singer I might be a quiet student who studies to work in that area.
Eunbi: If I'm not a singer, maybe I might work that involved with children. Before wanting to be a singer, I want to be a pre-school teacher. Since before I always like children, so I thought maybe I might fit as a pre-school teacher? (laugh)
Q. So both of you seem to know what would you do if being a singer doesn't work out. (laugh) Eunbi and Chaewon are 5 years apart in age, is there a time when you felt the generation gap between the two of you?
Eunbi: definitely there is! There are a lot of songs that I know that Chaewon doesn't know. On the other hand, there are slang words that Chaewon uses a lot, but I don't know the meaning. I also just found out the meaning of TMI a while ago, I used to not know 'AA' (Iced Americano) as well. There are times when I asked 'What does that mean?' and Chaewon will be like 'Unnie you don't know that?'
Chaewon: rather than generation gap, we have a lot of differences in jokes. Eunbi-unnie does a lot of 'Uncle Jokes' a lot, you know. So sometimes I don't know how to react to those jokes. (laugh)
Q. Eunbi you have a nickname 'Kwon Leader' and you live up to that name by showing an excellent leadership. Though you're still young, it must be such a huge burden to you both as a leader and as the oldest member in the group.
Eunbi: I used to be the youngest back then. (laugh) But it's true that the leader position is a huge responsibility. To add, IZ*ONE has a lot of members and has both korean and japanese members as well. So it's a concern for me on how to pull the group together without fighting. Personally, if we're not actually 'close', it will be obvious even if we're pretending to be close. So our group's relationship is really important to me. To achieve that rather than being an authoritative leader, I'd rather be an approachable leader. I put myself on the same level as them* and joke with them to help maintaining a comfortable atmosphere.
(T/N: to put a context, Eunbi said since she's way older than them she tried to be on the same level in regard the same age as them so there won't be any sense of seniority due to age differences.)
Q. Chaewon too, you have experience as a leader in 〈Produce 48〉 right?
Chaewon: Unlike now, that time I was still really young and it's my first time being the unnie. That time I felt how big of a position Eunbi-unnie was in. Although, Eunbi-unnie is a soft leader, but she also has this charisma to show when it's needed. I thought I should learn a lot from her.
Q. I heard Chaewon sang for the song guide that Eunbi wrote and composed, 'SPACESHIP’. Then at the last IZ*ONE album Chaewon wrote a song 'Slow Journey' as well. Seeing you challenge yourself (on composing) seems like Eunbi has a huge impact on you.
Chaewon: That's right. When I sang the guide for ‘SPACESHIP’ I also got to see the process of composing and writing by everyone involved. Seeing that experience giving me motivation and I started wanting to do it as well. Thanks to Eunbi-unnie that I grow a new field of interest.
Eunbi: at the process, Chaewon gave a lot of great feedbacks and we have a great synergy as well.
Q. So, when can we get to see your writing and composing skill again?
Eunbi: We might have a chance to do that soon, so please wait a little bit more. (laugh)
Q. How do you spend your day these days?
Eunbi: First of all, I eat a bit in the morning. Then go to the gym and pilates class at the same time. After working out, I go to the company for classes. I take japanese, english, and vocal lessons...I thought it will be great to learn more on my break. If I take various classes the day doesn't feel long at all.
Chaewon: I did somewhat similar as well. I take vocal lesson, working out, also working to show a new (better) side of me. I think I spent most of my time at the company.
Q. I saw Eunbi's instagram upload the other day, seems like the both of you went shopping at a vintage shop together. Do you hangout together as well at your break?
Chaewon: That's right, we like to shop a lot. Though we have different style of shopping. It can be a bit tiring when I shop with Eunbi-unnie. (laugh) She's the type who will walk around for a long time. After she bought something, then she will look at other things again. But if I go alone, I wouldn't have discover a lot of things. Shopping with Eunbi-unnie has a completely different entertainment to it.
Eunbi: Well, I did kind of dragging her around...(laugh) Sorry.
Q. Even your shopping style is different. (laugh) A while ago both of you uploaded a cover through a youtube channel. Eunbi covered 'Eight' and Chaewon covered 'You and I From The Beginning'. Is there any cover song you want to do?
Eunbi: I want to try covering 'Yerin Baek - Square'. It's a good song and anyone will feel comfortable when they listen to it. I want to try covering that kind of song as well. Also I really like all of Younha's songs so if I have the chance I want to try cover her songs as well.
Chaewon: for me, I want to try cover a pop song. These days I really like 'Bruno Mars - Leave The Door Open', it doesn't have to be right now, but I hope I can do it someday.
T/N: this is not the full interview from Esquire Korea, only from the one in their website. The full interview will be updated once the scan is out!