[Hanryu Pia] Almost Weekly! We Made Block B's "Bikipedia"! - B-Bomb Edition

No.7: Extraordinary B-Bomb's fate changed with one phone call!?

The protagonist of our November issue is the 'extraordinary' man from his visuals to dance skills, B-Bomb!

T/N: B-Bomb sounds like Bibeom (Korean), a word that means 'extraordinary'.

The interview took place over this summer. B-Bomb who appeared in the studio was glad to see the familiar face of the photographer, "Oh! Hyung". The shooting started with a hurriedly greeting and carried on in a peaceful atmosphere. Responding to the requests of the photographer and staff, B-Bomb would strike a pose in a cool or comical way one after the other. Suddenly he said, "Ah!" and seemed to remember something, he put his index finger under his nose...... it can't be, is that a moustache!! There is a little secret regarding to this cute moustache (?). The answer will appear in the January edition of "Hanryu Pia" to be released on December 22nd, please check it!

B-Bomb showed his playfulness to us. As he entered the interview room, he saw the sweets that were arranged here and said, "cute!" with a smile. Such thoughtfulness can quickly make your heart flutter. During the interview, his way of talking was uninterested but he answered sincerely. Especially when he talked about his hobbies and his prospects from now on, he talked in an enthusiastic way that he hadn't shown before, you could feel the passion within him.

Released last month in Korea, BASTARZ' 2nd Mini Album 'WELCOME 2 BASTARZ' included the song 'Selfish & Beautiful Girl' which has a MV where B-Bomb shows off brilliant steps in a disco dance reminiscent of the 80s. First of all, let's talk about his debut as part of Block B to the story on how he ended up being called 'dance machine'.

The one phone call that decided his fate!

B-Bomb who has an earnest image despite being in a group known as 'mischievous artists'. What kind of kid was he during his childhood days?

"I liked playing around but I was not the type to be noisy while laughing, I was a calm child. I heard this often from my parents and teachers. Nevertheless, I didn't do exactly as I was told by adults, I made sure to do what I wanted to do no matter what, I was a strong-willed child".

He began to aim to become a singer around his middle school days. He nurtured this dream while going to the concerts of his favorite singers.

"When I entered middle school, I implored my parents to let me go to a dance school. My parents said, 'let's try it once' and sent me out gladly".

When I was 15-years-old, I competed in a popular audition program that was broadcasted through Mnet around that time, "Battle Shinhwa". I appeared on TV as a 5th grader.

"I applied with an 'I'll try and see how it goes' attitude and as I did, I passed. Because I was still very young, I didn't understand what was there to do so I dropped out right away but it was a good experience. After that I participated in many auditions. I came to practice with the members of INFINITE. Now I am working with a different group so it feels somewhat strange".

He enrolled in a boys' school in order to study hard during high school. Amidst all, B-Bomb who was still enthusiastic about dancing perhaps had the feeling that he was 'a peculiar kid'.

"Rather than being a popular person, I think there were many people who thought I was a strange guy because all I did was dance. But when I danced in things like school festivals, my friends, seniors and juniors seemed pleased so within the school, people would say 'his dancing is good' so I developed a reputation".

He continued to participate in various auditions and he finally arrived in Block B. 

"I attended this audition and the next day I was asked to 'come again' though at the time I lived in the suburbs of Seoul so it was really troublesome to go that far again. For some reason or the other I wanted to let it pass. But one week later the president of the company contacted me directly. The next day I went rushing off. Without that phone call, I might have missed out on becoming part of Block B". Afterwards he appeared in the music video 'Korea city' of Cho PD who was working in producing Block B, he gained experience and in 2011, he made his long-awaited debut as part of Block B. The fact that his fate was decided by a single phone call, life is certainly interesting.

No.8: "SNS Otaku" B-Bomb, the part he's confident about is this one

The protagonist of our November issue is the 'extraordinary' man from his visuals to dance skills, B-Bomb!

In the second part of B-Bomb's interview, we approach a more personal side of him.

When I'm alone, I start to feel lonely

Let's zoom into B-Bomb's everyday life. Let's start with the thing he's addicted to lately.

"Well, a long time ago I was so into bear bricks that I traveled abroad to buy and collect them but lately there's nothing in particular I'm addicted to....... Ah!! Looking for delicious restaurants! If the food is tasty even if it's Korean cuisine, Japanese cuisine or any type of cuisine, I'll go eat it. I'll feel excited if I can eat delicious food. I'll exude energy too and would feel motivated".

In past interviews, B-Bomb used to say that he liked yakiniku (grilled meat) and udon the best among Japanese cuisine. Are there any restaurants in especial he goes to when he's in Japan?

"In Japan, whether it's a bento or bread, everything I eat is delicious. Even without having to look for a specially delicious restaurant, I can eat delicious food everywhere so there's no restaurant in particular I visit when I'm here".

On his days off, he spends his time eating something delicious with his friends and drinking alcohol. When I asked 'Do you tolerate alcohol well?' he gave a modest answer, 'I like it'.

People who answer like that tend to have a strong alcohol tolerance, "Hehehe. I do go out to drink often. I guess there's a lot of soju and beer. I also like vodka and gin. The point is that I drink anything (lol). If we talk about things to accompany soju then it's mostly Samgyeopsal and meat-based snacks. There's also many occasions when I have ramen with it".

He likes to hang out with friends, drinking alcohol and looking for delicious restaurants. I thought it was unusual for someone who is an only child to be this way but B-Bomb said, "it's probably due to the fact that I'm an only child".

"As an only child, even though I like to be alone, I actually start to feel lonely when I'm by myself. I feel bored when I'm alone too. That's why I always try to meet with someone. Museums, shopping, watching movies...... I can't go anywhere alone. By the way, it's insanely hard for me to meet anyone at the agreed time (lol). Since I have a punctual personality, if you arrive late I'll get mad. I wonder if it's because I'm impatient. I also eat my meals fast. Wait, I heated up. What was the question again? (lol)".

When you talk about B-Bomb, the thing you can't fail to mention is "selca". Uploading many on SNS where he looks handsome, sharing his 'fashion', it has become a regular thing.

"Among the members I might be the one who uploads pictures on SNS the most. I'm an SNS otaku (geek). I check all the comments that people leave for me, recently there's many people who upload cool pictures, in the same way if I have time I take a good look through SNS".

In his selcas, there seems to be an angle he uses regularly. By the way. examining the messages BBC sent to Hanryu Pia, seems like his most common angle is 'taking pictures from the bottom left side'. What do you think are your most charming parts?

"My eyes and eyebrows probably. What I'm confident in is the area between my eyebrows though (lol). I think the area between my eyebrows looks good when I wrinkle my forehead a bit and bring my eyebrows closer. People around me……. tend to tell me that they envy my dimples".

Last year he challenged acting for the first time in the web drama 'Jumping Girl'. He played the role of an idol star with a wounded heart. Have you been interested in acting?

"Yeah. It was really difficult but I would like to try it again. Of course, I can't do it if I don't prepare thoroughly. It was fun to depict youth through the relationship between friends".

There's a certain ambition that B-Bomb currently holds.

"I have the desire to try other works besides music work for once, I've started to prepare a little for it. What kind of thing? That's a secret. It's a completely different genre".

B-Bomb has the attitude of enjoying life no matter what since you only live once. You may be able to see a new B-Bomb soon!

No.9: According to B-Bomb when does he think of himself as the coolest?

The protagonist of our November issue is the 'extraordinary' man from his visuals to dance skills, B-Bomb! This time is the last part of B-Bomb's interview.

The theme is, things B-Bomb 'likes'.

When I gave him a vague question 'Honestly, what do you like?', he gave an answer worthy of an artist, "Probably music. Because my tension goes up when I'm listening to music. I like British bands". In addition he answered, "As expected I also like dancing".

Ho-we-ver! To answer like an honor student in this series is a NO! This time I'll ask about things other than work and get the answers I like.

B-Bomb's LIKE

Once in an interview, "I appeared wearing pants that had a white line on a black background, 'crosswalk plants'", he exposed to the members. When I look through photos taken of him at the airport, he seems to wear his favorite clothes over and over, or comes out with (similar) items in different colors. He wears the things he likes thoroughly and seems to be confident of his own fashion style".

"Originally I liked styles that were neat and refined. I would think about what to wear that day as I woke up and took a shower. For the time being I try wearing this, if it's not very good then modify it little by little. I hardly use any accessories. They're pretty much limited to a watch and a hat".

B-Bomb who is famous for looking himself in the mirror constantly. All the same, do you end up looking yourself in the mirror after showering?

"Not at all. It's true that I used to look myself in the mirror often in the past but recently I just do it when I'm at work. I usually don't carry a mirror with me either. Is that surprising? Ahaha".

From here on we'll move from the 'like' topic which can be said to be about his favorite things, to a talk about Block B. Do you think about how to fulfill your own role within the team?

"Since Block B has only free-spirited members and people with strong personalities (lol). I think I play a role in keeping the center and trying to maintain balance"

When it comes to quarrels within the group his stance is fundamentally, "I will purposely not intervene".

"I wonder if they can solve each of their problems by themselves (lol). In the past we consulted with each other but as each of us established our own characters and positions, I think things like asking for advice from someone became less frequent lately. However if someone does consult me about a problem, I'll listen properly to them and give them advice".

What is Block B to B-Bomb?

"It's a very big presence in the life of 'B-Bomb'. Because if there was no Block B, I would only be a 'Minhyuk' and there wouldn't be a 'B-Bomb'".

Rather than being told he's a handsome guy, B-Bomb thinks the best compliment is when he's told things like, "Block B is cool", "They sing cool songs". So what's the moment when B-Bomb thinks of himself as the coolest?

"As expected, when I'm part of Block B. I shine the brightest when I'm singing and dancing in Block B".

Translations by @GreeneryBomb