Q. You came to film even though you suddenly got sick.
A. I've never been this unwell. I guess my immune system has dropped. But still, I have to keep my promise to <VOGUE>!
Q. You rose as the entertainment blue chip since last year. Compared to your schedules from last year and 2 years ago, it must be very different now. How many off days do you get in a week?
A. I work the whole week, and I rest once or twice at most. I've always been a homebody. I don't go out to hang out, so I like meeting people at work. You work with your heart when you play while earning money. I don't even know how to hang out when I get a break, so I think I just stay at home?
Q. You said even your friends called you and said, "You're not coming out, are you?"
A. I don't even have that many friends that contact me these days haha. I'm being more careful because of Covid-19. I don't want to lose the public's trust because of a mistake.
Q. You debuted with 'Lovelyz' at 21 and now you're 28. You must have little to no personal life. Don't you find it sad?
A. Honestly, yes, but I met the Lovelyz friends and when I consider that my dreams came true quicker than I thought, it puts my mind at ease. If I work hard at what I do, it won't be too late to play around when I have time, right? Being young doesn't mean that I can just goof around.
Q. Are you working now?
A. I'm having fun working as if I'm hanging out. I'm happy when I have a schedule.
Q. You said that once you set a goal, you tend to be consistent no matter what anyone says. You made up your mind to become an idol after a middle school retreat and practice without your parents knowing, then you came to Seoul from your hometown, Okcheon, to audition. You said you'd never been to Seoul before that.
A. I took a train by myself on a weekend and asked around. Even as someone who was bad with directions, I finally found the place. One day, a call came to my house with the news that I passed the open audition. My parents knew this and said, "So you are capable, you worked hard to prepare for this," and sent me to an academy, because they wanted me to [learn] it properly.
Q. Those days must've been vivid in your memory.
A. On the train, I kept imagining that I would pass the audition. After I passed the audition, I just dreamed to debut. After debuting, I dreamed to coolly stand on stage. I repeatedly moved on to the next step after realizing one wish.
Q. What is your current goal?
A. 'Let's keep going steadily'. It doesn't sound magnificent, but it's what I need the most right now. I asked my company of this not too long ago. I want to work for a long time, so I asked them to give me schedules that wouldn't damage my health. Of course, my company adjusted my schedules.
Q. That's something you can say now.
A. I tend to be pretty resolute. Especially when it comes to work, I can be a cold person.
Q. Do you tend to be thorough with self-management?
A. It's very important! It would be a nuisance to shows if I didn't feel well, so I have to pay attention to that.
Q. How do you take care of your mental health?
A. I'm not lying when I say that I control myself well. I don't know how, but I don't get any 'mental breakdowns' now, so I must be doing well, right? Before I cave in, I calmly judge [the situation] and ask for help from the people around me. Like what I said to my company, "I want to go for a long time!"
Q. The staff must've been scared when Mijoo-ssi opened the door and walked in.
A. I politely give them a call. Haha.
Q. Did exercising pre-debut also help you build a better form? You did archery, track and field, etc. because of the influence from your father who is a PE teacher.
A. Honestly, I have no talent for sports. I can get influenced 'mentally' too. When I got homesick when I was a trainee, I called my parents and they said, "You said you wanted to do this, no! Just practice when this happens," mixed in with affectionate cursing. Actually, my mom really wanted to take me [home]. She was strict because she was worried that I might give up.
Q. Is your personality a lot like your mother's?
A. Yes. We're strong, but soft.
Q. You once cried at a variety show when you watched the video of yourself continuing to perform even with a sprained ankle during a Lovelyz performance. I suddenly felt bad when I saw your crying. I thought, "She's the most lively idol, but of course, she has a soft side to her."
A. I thought about how hard it was for me then. I sprained my ankle, but I danced with my strength on my big toe. I just thought that I had to wrap it up safely, so I didn't know that I was in pain. I went to the hospital and they said that I ruptured my ligament, and only then I felt the pain. I must've grown a lot after that kind of hardship, no?
Q. Are you the type to handle pain well?
A. I think that when I'm in pain, my weakness shows. I hate make it obvious and cause harm to people around me.
Q. It's important to have time to comfort yourself, as strong as you are. So how do you do it?
A. I unwind when I get home. No one would believe it, but I like cleaning. I'd clean or listen to music that have lyrics that fit my current situation. I watch sad movies when I want to cry.
Q. I'm glad that you show your true feelings even when you're alone.
A. I feel refreshed on the inside when I cry hard at sad movies. It's my own way of comforting myself.
Q. What's a movie that left a deep impression on your recently?
A. I watched all the movies that Na Moon Hee starred in. When I have a very hard time, I watched <A Little Princess> and received comfort from it. Her acting reminds me of family. She's like a grandmother whom I can comfortably hug and cry to.
Q. I also saw the interview where you said you wanted to act. But it's hard to find your work other than the <I Am a Job Seeker> web drama that you did in 2016.
A. I'm going to do my job as a singer and entertainer properly before slowly starting another work. I have to focus on what's given to me now.
Q. You're Lovelyz's main dancer, so you said that you wanted a solo album with a strong performance like Sunmi, right?
A. I don't know if the opportunity for a solo would come, so I have to prepare for it. Even though I'm doing many variety shows, I'm practicing so that my vocals and dancing won't get rusty.
Q. Like how you imagined to debut in the train, if you keep thinking about what you wish for, it may become a reality.
A. I still imagine things a lot these days. 'I'll become like this!' But I'm a realist, so I just imagine things that are likely to come true, because I'd just get hurt if they didn't come true.
Q. You're realistic, so you must give a lot of advices to people around you.
A. Right. My close younger sisters often ask me what they should do. My method of counseling is, I would say what they want to say first, then finally, I will tell them like it is. I give the remedy first, then the disease (t/n: the proverb usually goes the other way around).
Q. You often say that you have reversal charms. What kind of reversal?
A. I have a lot. First of all, I may show a cheerful image on variety shows, but I'm actually sexy. I'm calm, quiet, and I'm a good cook too!
Q. Did you discover your cooking talent after living alone?
A. I eat a lot of delivery food, so my health wasn't good and I spent too much. I'm going to cook at home as much as possible these days.
Q. You appear on a lot of variety shows, so only the energetic Mijoo is known.
A. That is unfortunate, but it's precious because the public likes me. As for my reversal charms, I can slowly show them.
Q. It's been 8 years since you came to Seoul and lived a dorm life, so you wanted your own space so much, right? It's been 2 years since you started living alone, so how did you feel when you signed the lease for your own place?
A. It felt awkward for me because it didn't feel like my own place at first. It was like I just hung out for a bit at a friend's place. As I started living there, my smell started filling the space and my stuff was everywhere, so it felt like home. But I can't decorate, so I only have a bed, sofa, TV, and a wardrobe.
Q. You said you also have a lot of your pictures?
A. Haha. My house with my pictures hanging on it is the most comfortable [place] now. Once I enter, it feels like, "Of course, my house is the best!"
Q. You said you don't order food because it costs a lot of money, so are you the type to have economical sense?
A. First of all, I want to save my money to help my parents. They told me, "When you're young, you have to use your money and have fun," but I like saving it better. I don't really have any luxury item. I mostly have training outfits and slippers, like how I came here today. I don't really do makeup, so I don't have a lot of cosmetics.
Q. Idols these days have a lot of interest in fashion, but you're different. Then, what do you like? I heard you read often?
A. I only liked books for a while. Haha. I fall asleep when I read a book these days. I watch videos instead. I watch dramas on Netflix and variety shows too.
Q. K-Content is a hot topic recently, right? Do you plan on advancing overseas?
A. We planned a lot on that. After Covid-19 is gone, I want to quickly perform in front of international fans. Actually, I want to have a meal with the staff more than I want to go overseas.
Q. You're good to your staff, aren't you?
A. I have strong faith that they are my people. I don't know about them, but for me, I love them very much. Haha. I appreciate them so much for working hard for me since this morning.
Q. There's only a few months left of this year. Looking back, what did you do well and what do you want to do for the remaining time?
A. I feel happy because the name Lee Mijoo is known to the public this year. I will work hard and keep showing you that I am a fun person.
Q. What's your wish for not your work, but personal life?
A. I suddenly feel sad. Haha. Looking back, I couldn't take care of my personal life. I'm going to create a hobby and use my own time. Then, I will be an even cooler Lee Mijoo!
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