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Interviewer: When you first met, what did you feel about each other?
Jung Hoseok: (smiles) Ah, I’ve told this everywhere, but I guess I will never get tired of telling it. When I first saw Yoongi, he was quite in a home-like state. Instead of being a young person with very big dreams, unbreakable and full of hope, I felt that he was someone like me, with fears and worries. And this made me warm up to Yoongi a little too quickly. (laughs and looks at Yoongi.)
Min Yoongi: At that time, I was thinking, “who is this?” (slightly smiles) He suddenly appeared in front of me in the dorm with his big smile. It was obvious from how wide he opened his eyes that he was very nervous. Even at that moment, a protective instinct formed inside me. “I should protect this sweet kid from everything,” I thought.
Interviewer: When did you say “this is not just friendship”?
Jung Hoseok: Ah, it’s hard to say. (thinks for a short time) I think it was the day I didn’t leave Yoongi’s side like a lost puppy and asked him to teach me something about production.
Yoongi was very busy and didn’t even have time to scratch his head. The comeback time was approaching and there was a heavy responsibility on all of us. (pauses and smiles) But despite everything, Yoongi took me into his studio and allowed me to watch him while he was working. He explained everything he did and taught me.
At that moment, I realized how caring and loving Yoongi was towards me. Even without wanting to, my heart started to beat for him and for the first time I thought, “could we be more than friends?”
Min Yoongi: (smiles at Hoseok’s answer) I also never get tired of listening to this.
For me, there wasn’t a moment. Over time, I reached the awareness that I couldn’t do without Hoseok anymore.
After the comeback, during our solo era, we stayed quite far apart and I was missing Hoseok’s presence next to me, his voice and his laughter almost every day. And I realized that this was much more intense and stronger than the longing I would feel for a friend.
Interviewer: So can we say Hoseok realized his feelings first?
Min Yoongi: (lets out a small laugh) Yes, we can say that. He realized his feelings first, but later I fell into these feelings harder.
Interviewer: Even though you have such opposite personalities, do you ever feel like you can’t keep up with each other in the relationship?
Min Yoongi: It’s true that we have opposite personalities, but this doesn’t only mean that we carry those traits. I also have an energetic side that I don’t show or bring out most of the time.
Before, I wasn’t even aware of its existence and I used to feel like a young body with the soul of a grumpy old man. But after meeting Hoseok, I actually discovered myself and thanks to him, I brought out the more energetic, more loving and romantic side inside me. That’s why we never felt like we couldn’t keep up with each other. We were always side by side anyway.
Jung Hoseok: I agree with this. I was also always putting on my smiling and energetic persona in front of the cameras and I thought it was wrong to show my grumpy and unhappy side.
But Yoongi showed me that it wasn’t a problem. He helped me become who I am now and broaden my perspective. The biggest reason for this was our contrasting personalities. Now, we softened our sharp edges so that we could become better versions of ourselves. That’s why adapting to each other happened very naturally.
Interviewer: You are together all the time both in work life and at home. Do you ever get bored of each other or think your relationship has become monotonous?
Min Yoongi: Ah, if you are with Hoseok, it will never be boring… (laughs) Actually, if we put the joke aside, we both understand just by looking into each other’s eyes when to give space to each other.
We both have our own hobbies and sometimes we spend time alone. That’s why when we come together, we can always find different things to talk about. So I never get bored of being with Hoseok and talking with him.
Jung Hoseok: I think this is the most important factor that keeps our relationship dynamic. We have our own time and thanks to this we don’t get bored of each other.
When I say it like this, it sounds like we don’t spend time together. (continues laughing) We just respect each other’s interests and don’t disturb each other. At the end of the day, we tell each other what we did with excitement as if we experienced it for the first time. So yes… we never get bored of each other.
Interviewer: Can you share a small habit of each other that the other doesn’t know?
Jung Hoseok: (points at Yoongi) He doesn’t know, but I know that every evening he takes a longer way to buy my favorite fresh croissants and waits in line for a while.
Min Yoongi: I was trying to do that secretly. If you knew, you should have thanked me.
Jung Hoseok: You become very cute when you try to hide it. (blows a small kiss to Yoongi)
Min Yoongi: Hoseok, when he gets something stuck in his mind and becomes thoughtful, starts taking care of the plants in the house, but he thinks I don’t know this. (winks at Hoseok.)
Interviewer: Fights are an inevitable part of a relationship. What brings you back together after a fight?
Jung Hoseok: We are both mature people and grown enough not to fight and stay upset. If there is something we disagree on, we give ourselves time for our emotions to calm down. We realize that what we argued about is actually very small and not worth breaking our hearts over, and when we sit and talk the next time, the issue gets resolved.
Min Yoongi: Also, as an advantage of knowing each other for many years, we already know what we will say to each other in any argument. That’s why our arguments become boring. (laughs and turns to Hoseok) Maybe we should try something different sometimes.
Interviewer: When was the last time you truly admired each other?
Min Yoongi: This morning. (laughs) While Hoseok is thinking about what to wear, when he pouts his lips, while he does his skincare routine without skipping it, while he takes care of our cats one by one… I always admire him.
Jung Hoseok: What can I say after this answer… Every time I look into Yoongi’s eyes, I see the stars inside them and this makes me hold onto life more, love him more and admire him more.
Min Yoongi: If this is how you answer… You’re making me shy now (smiles quietly)
Interviewer: Have you ever thought, “are we really married?”
Min Yoongi: Actually, most of the time I forget that we are married. Because we have been together for such a long time that marriage feels like just an agreement on paper. But yes… sometimes when we deal with official documents, we say “how is this possible, yes we are officially married. Jung Hoseok is my husband.”
Jung Hoseok: I, (pointing at Yoongi) on the other hand, get excited like the first day when I look at my ring and I get surprised how I ended up marrying Yoongi. Not in a bad way of course. (laughs) I just think I must have done something very good in my previous life to deserve Yoongi. I’m grateful for that.
Interviewer: What is a small detail in your home that feels the most “you”?
Min Yoongi: Definitely our coffee mugs. (laughs as he continues) We hadn’t even moved in yet, but we were both coffee lovers. So the first thing we bought for our home was getting mugs in colors that reminded us of each other from an ordinary store. That’s why they feel the most like “us.”
Jung Hoseok: For me, it’s the blanket next to our couch that wraps us and keeps us warm at the end of the day. Because it reminds me of the warmth and softness that our relationship makes me feel. That’s why I love curling up under it together while watching TV, and it feels very “us.”
Interviewer: Is there anything you would like to change about each other?
Jung Hoseok & Min Yoongi: (at the same time) No. (they laugh.)
Min Yoongi: We accepted each other as we are and only helped shape the traits that already exist. I think this is what is missing in today’s relationships. No one should change for someone else. Because change is not always a part of growth and a constantly changing character eventually loses their identity.
Jung Hoseok: Exactly. Even at the beginning of our friendship, we never thought about changing each other. Because the things that made us different were actually the building blocks of our relationship. Changing them would harm both us and the bond we built. We accepted both ourselves and each other as we are, and over time we realized there was nothing to change. Because we were already sharing the same soul.
Interviewer: Lastly, if you had the chance to talk to your past selves, what would you say?
Jung Hoseok: Dear little Hoseok… the love in your heart will sometimes feel too much for you, but trust yourself and Yoongi and never let go of that love. Because that love will become a source of your life.
Min Yoongi: Past Yoongi… (thinks for a moment) Don’t be afraid of the future and trust your feelings. Life will surprise you greatly and suddenly you will find yourself as the happiest man in the world. Just trust yourself, that handsome man with the big heart-shaped smile who reminds you of the sun itself, and trust his feelings.