Q. You used the words "A new start" while delivering the news of you moving to Antenna.
A. I used the words to mean that I would like to showcase the things that I hadn't been able to show in a new way. I've shown you various sides of myself so far, whether on stage or variety shows, but from now on, my will to take on even more challenges has gotten bigger.
Q. Excitement and anxiety are bound to coexist at the starting point, so what kind of mindset are you waiting for your next chapter with?
A. I don't feel anxious at all. The company believes in what challenges I take on and I have a lot of good people who are supporting me. There's no point where I feel a big concern or worry. Rather, I wasn't too excited, and I try to focus on what I can do well now. I did say "a new start", but there's not much of a difference, and I'm trying to maintain that kind of mindset myself.
Q. Are you the type to not hesitate to take on new challenges?
A. I'm a realist who thinks, "If I do it, I do it." I do contemplate on it until I try it, but when I've decided to do it in the first place, I push ahead without any fear, so these days, I have to do something about it. (Laughs)
Q. What do you want to try doing?
A. I've never stood on stage alone, so I want to try to have a music promotion as a soloist, and I also want to show a more carefree side of me in variety shows. If there's an opportunity, I'm going to try acting as well. I try to build myself little by little while doing the things that I didn't use to doing in my daily life. I absolutely hated working out, but I've started working out not long ago. I'm also going to get my driver's license.
Q. I can feel your spirit to try anything.
A. Haha. My mindset about that is big now.
Q. You're like this now too, but I think that the show <Sixth Sense> that started in September 2020 is still as important. You didn't expect to seriously enter the variety world like this, right?
A. I've always been the type to not imagine the distant future. Even if I visualized it, I wouldn't have expected this at all. It was fun as I was doing it, and I just thought it was nice that there was an increase in people who viewed me well.
Q. The variety world and the idol world demand intensity in a different meaning. You must've needed time to get used to it, right?
A. It wasn't easy, of course. However, I didn't need a long time to get used to it. I had fun with whatever situation I was given, and I was able to get used to it naturally because I was aware of the side of me that I showed on variety shows and I simply expressed that boldly (Laughs). The amicable atmosphere of the filming site was also helpful.
Q. It seemed that quite a lot of people were surprised. You appeared in variety shows but you're a girl group member, so there's a point where people thought, "She won't go that far." That's why people were surprised because their expectation was completely off.
A. When I first appeared in variety shows, I didn't think, "I'm a girl group (member), I'm an idol." My idol side is for the stage. I just show the side of me that matches my role as someone who appears in a variety show, so I didn't set a certain line and acted. It's not something that I did after throwing caution to the wind. I was more surprised that there were a lot of people being surprised.
Q. Do you do a lot of monitoring? I think there would be moments where you were surprised at what you saw in shows that you weren't even aware of at the filming site. (Laughs)
A. I was shocked myself when I watched myself doing a random dance on <Happy Together>. I thought, "I danced like this?" But I usually don't watch the shows that I appear in. It's not because I would be shocked, but I just think that my mind would be stuck in what I saw.
Q. Lately, we can see the reaction of people who were surprised at your out-of-this-world tension saying, "Right. Mijoo is a singer. Mijoo's voice is this good?" through <Hangout With Yoo>. I thought that it was ironic. While you were promoting as Lovelyz, you were known as the member who was good at variety, but now that you're actually doing variety shows, people are talking about your singing.
A. I've never thought about those responses. I guess you're right. But I'm not sad about it. I'm happy when there are people who recognize me in any way. I just missed being on stage, so it was nice to have the opportunity to sing, and I'm glad that people like my voice.
Q. What kind of person is Mijoo in real life, outside of the shows and stage?
A. I tend to be very shy and enjoy being by myself. I like watching a movie and drinking alone. But on the other hand, I'm very affectionate and I love people. There are people who think it's tiring to go outside their house but once they go out, they like talking to people, right? That's me.
Q. You're a typical introvert.
A. That's right. But what everyone misunderstands is, "How can an introvert appear in variety shows?" But that's just a tendency. There are introverts who are confident. I do get nervous, but I don't feel intimidated. That's the kind of person I am. (Laughs)
Q. Your new start coincides just in time with the new year. Do you have any goals in 2022?
A. My versatility. I want to showcase that. At the same time, I think it's important to assume the same attitude. I want to carry this mindset that I have before the start until the end of the year.
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