Growing up watching music shows, WOONHAK dreamed of becoming a singer. Now, years later, not only have his dreams come true, but he’s even the host of Inkigayo. Despite being the youngest male MC to ever host the show—and everything that comes with the gig—WOONHAK says his nerves are all good ones. His eyes flashed excitedly throughout the interview as he described his responsibilities as host and spoke with great admiration for his fellow co-hosts and singers.

WOONHAK: Everyone was congratulating me when the news got out that I’d been selected to be the host. I was so happy and honored. The other members said congratulations too and told me I have to do a good job. It felt like they had raised me and are now sending me off to the TV network. (laughs) Just like how dads would feel. (laughs) All those reactions just made me happy at first, but later on I felt more and more ambitious. There I was with this opportunity, and I wanted to do something the group would be proud of. I wanted to try really hard and bring out my personality so I could show people what kind of person I am. So I reviewed a bunch of episodes of music shows and watched videos of how other artists have hosted. And whenever I practice, I think, What could I do here to bring out my charm better?

The “Baby MC’s” role models

WOONHAK: I watched a lot of videos of different artists including YEONJUN hosting Inkigayo. They gave me a lot of different nicknames like Baby MC and Baby Yoo Jae-suk, and I feel so honored whenever they do. It makes me wonder how I can live up to such titles. I’m trying really hard to live up to people’s expectations. And since they call me Baby Yoo Jae-suk (laughs) I actually went and watched a bunch of his videos! He’s one of my life role models. I look up to him a lot. He always does his best to put on a good show even though he’s already considered the best host in the country. I love how gentlemanly he comes across, too. I want to be like him when I’m older. I mean, if I tried to be a gentleman now, it’d be … Well! I think I’m already a cool gent. (laughs)

WOONHAK: I was so thankful that RIWOO and JAEHYUN came to watch during the pre-recording of the MC special stage. That was really sweet of them. They actually couldn’t get much sleep the night before, since they were up practicing for our new music, but they still came. All the other members called me one by one to wish me luck, too. SUNGHO told me it would be fun for viewers if I learned some of the guests’ dance moves before the show. What he told me left a major impression on me. I’m working hard so that I’m never out there doing any of the dances half-heartedly. So I ask the show’s writers ahead of time who’s on the guest list and then practice their moves, and I also personally ask the artists, “Is this how you do the dance?” or, “Does this look alright?” to get the moves down. Making sure I’m doing everything properly is my way of showing respect towards the guests.

A little less formal with YEONJUN

WOONHAK: YEONJUN told me to drop honorifics when talking with him right when we met. The first K-pop dance I ever learned to cover properly was actually “9 and Three Quarters (Run Away)” by TOMORROW X TOGETHER. So I said to YEONJUN—er, he was still “seonbae” to me at that point (laughs)—“Hello, seonbae-nim! I look up to you so much. I can’t wait to work together.” He said to me, “You can just call me hyeong or by my name,” and right away I replied, “Sounds good, hyeong!” (laughs) I think I caught him off guard. (laughs) Just switching right away like that. (laughs) I’m usually kind of shy, actually, but I thought I better make friends with him quickly so the show would be fun to watch and to make it more fun for myself too. And thanks to YEONJUN putting me at ease like that, we became close really quick. And he always asks me if I’m having trouble with anything. Even though I asked a lot of questions, he answered each and every one of them and was really kind about it. I was touched. Oh! And YEONJUN left a comment on Weverse saying I’m kind of cute. (laughs) I was so grateful for that.

First time meeting the “wonder actress Jihu”

WOONHAK: I didn’t meet Jihu until the day we met to practice for our special performance of “Hype Boy.” It was my first time ever working with an older female colleague. And she’s a fantastic actor like everyone says. She’s famous all over the world for All of Us Are Dead, and she’s way more experienced than me, so I was really nervous. (laughs) But even though I was nervous, I thought I should hurry up and become friends with her because I thought the most important thing was that we have chemistry during our special performance. So we did our best to eliminate any awkwardness between us. And there’s a part in the middle of the performance where we get into pairs and clap hands with each other, so we worked really hard to get in sync with each other and make that part look natural. Since it was a cover, I was thinking during the whole week of practice about what I could do to really express myself and the song.

WOONHAK: I contributed a lot of ideas for things like the overall arch of the choreography and the moves for the Inkigayo performance of “Hype Boy.” There’s a part in the middle where we go crazy with the music, and I thought it’d be good if we did a cutesy move for that part, so I suggested we clap each other’s hands. (laughs) And most importantly, I wanted the performance to really show people that there’s no limit to my star power or my talent. I think my talent came across at least. (laughs) We only had a week to prepare so there were a couple parts I wasn’t entirely satisfied with, but when I really think about it, I feel like the choices I made were the cutest they could be, and … so actually, no regrets!

WOONHAK: I feel like I have a knack for using my personality and charm to get people excited without using up my own energy. So the writers leave things like reactions mostly to me. And whenever they do, I make an effort to really bring things to life and show off my charms. I think I’ve gotten better at ad-libbing too. For example, if I get the script and something doesn’t sound right when I say it, I’ll change it a little bit to fit me better. In the case of today’s show, the script called for me to say, “We all have an H sound in our names,” and instead I said, “Hey guys, did you know that the last syllable of all our names start with an H sound?” [Note: This interview took place on August 13.] I still get nervous sometimes, but I’m trying to enjoy myself to the fullest. The more I try to keep my nervousness under control, the more nervous I get. So I just enjoy it! The more I do it, the more my nervousness turns into fun.

Performing with fans

WOONHAK: When I found out we were going to pre-record, I was worried whether or not many fans would show up, but I was able to shake off that worry because so many people ended up coming. I got quite emotional, seeing all the fans right there in front of me, and I felt so grateful. There’s people who love me. This is what it feels like to be loved. The pressure was on since I had to perform without the other members in front of an audience, but I was so touched by the fans.

Dreams he hopes will come true on the music show stage

WOONHAK: I want to feel completely free when I’m on stage. And I really want to do an encore performance. I’m confident I’ll do a good job in the event that happens! During our very first encore, I want to get off the stage, get right up in front of the fans and sing for them. I’ll get permission first, obviously. (laughs) And I’m really excited to be hosting and interviewing the other members when we make our comeback in September! It’s all over for them! (laughs) As soon as it starts, I’ll ask them random questions on the spot like, “JAEHYUN, can you make an acrostic poem?” Or, “Could you describe what you just said using a metaphor?” (laughs)

WOONHAK: This new album has a completely different vibe from our debut single album, so I’m looking forward to everything about performing it. I hope the fans are excited too and keep an eye out for it—I hope they get pumped up. They’ll fall in love as soon as they see it. (laughs) And I’ve been practicing so I can personally add even more to BOYNEXTDOOR’s already unique style. All six of us have our own ways of looking effortless on stage, and our own characteristic ways of gesturing, singing and dancing. I think that’s what makes us special: our ability to have lots of fun on stage and put on a great show. We want to expand on that and show off just how unique our group is and build something that’s our one and only.

Hoping to be remembered for his host work

WOONHAK: I hope the three of us will be remembered as one of the most legendary trios to host Inkigayo. It’d be nice if later on people think, I want to see them again—I really miss them! YEONJUN and Jihu are very kind, polite people, and I’m learning a lot from them about what attitude I need to have. It naturally made me feel like I really need to keep working harder. And lately it’s like a therapeutic experience for me every Sunday when we’ve recorded the show. I feel so energetic when I go there and see the fans, YEONJUN, Jihu, and all the staff. My head’s often filled up with thoughts when I’m alone, but after we record the show, I feel like anything I was grappling with leaves me. I’m already having a lot of fun, but I’m excited because I think it’ll be even more fun going forward!