[TV ZOOM IN] FIVE MEMBERS ON ‘WINNER TV’ LIKE ONIONS… KEEP PEELING TO SEE MORE!

[TV리포트=김가영 기자] YG’s new boy group WINNER’s Kang Seung Yoon, Lee Seung Hoon, Song Min Ho, and Kim Jin Woo are delivering different charms to the viewers every Friday night. On stage they are masculine, but behind the scenes they are cute boys who are clumsy and charming all at the same time. These boys are surely making the fans’ Friday night much more exciting than before.

The episode of ‘WINNER TV’ aired on Mnet yesterday on Dec 20 featured the members of WINNER going through the first official overseas schedule. They were performing for the opening stages of BIGBANG’s Dome Tour in Japan.

Each member of WINNER looked nervous. However, when they stood before 35,000 fans, their newbie selves vanished: they delivered their greetings in Japanese comfortably and looked very relaxed singing. They showcased a perfect performance by singing their self-composed ‘Go Up’ in Japanese. They came down stage leaving the audience awe-struck with their confident and dynamic performance.

Kang Seung Yoon commented, “The number of fans was so staggering it was uncountable. I could feel this vibe that went beyond amazement and excitement, and I could feel it all over my body.” Song Min Ho added, “I was unable to even believe that I was going on stage until I was actually standing on it. Now I genuinely understand why singers choose to be singers.” Their excitement did not seem to go away even after their turn was done, and they stayed behind to cheer on their fellow artists, BIGBANG.

Lee Seung Hoon said, “We will use this opportunity as a foothold to jump further and higher,” while Song Min Ho commented, “We will not forget our determination we had at the beginning, and will always be down-to-earth and work hard.” They then went to visit BIGBANG personally, who allowed them to perform on such a large-scale stage. BIGBANG members gave words of encouragement to the newbie group. G-DRAGON told them to “have dinner together”, while T.O.P playfully joked that WINNER should pay for the meal. SEUNGRI advised them to get good night’s sleep, but other members teased SEUNGRI by telling him that he should not be the one to talk.

The five members who were passionate and powerful on stage revealed their clumsy sides at the restaurant. They said their greetings in Japanese on stage, and yet they struggled to understand the waiter explaining the menu at the restaurant. But when the food they ordered came out, they basically drank their food saying with enthusiasm, “This food is amazing” repeatedly.

The next day, the five members were given free time. They talked about everything they wanted to say until now. Kang Seung Yoon and Nam Tae Hyun said, “We are going to get money by busking on the street. And with that money, we are going to buy matching t-shirts!” while Lee Seung Hoon and Song Min Ho said, “We want to go to Kawagoe, and make the elderly women there dance.” Kim Jin Woo decided to visit Tokyo Tower, and reenact a scene from a Japanese drama.

Kang Seung Yoon and Nam Tae Hyun headed to Shibuya. Before they kicked off their project, they wanted to test if they will be able to buy matching t-shirts in the end, so they conducted a rehearsal. They cautiously began to sing on the street. But they struggled from the beginning with a poor choice of song, singing out of tune, and people who simply did not pay attention to them. Kang Seung Yoon commented, “This is even more nerve-racking than the Dome Tour.” The two were able to attract 5 audiences, and raked in just a small amount of money.

After the mission was complete, the two talked heart-to-heart. Nam Tae Hyun said, “I don’t know why other members think we are not close.” To this, Kang Seung Yoon added, “We share quite a bit in common, like our family background and others.” The two, who became even closer friends doing the mission together, took a photo-sticker to prove their mission was completed. They were playful in the photo booth, jokingly kissing each other and being affectionate.

Lee Seung Hoon and Song Min Ho on the other hand missed a bus by 5 minutes, when the later one only comes an hour later. However, they were able to get to Kawagoe, a place filled with Japanese traditional houses, and spent enjoyable time there. They explained their mission to a group of elderly women, and showcased their dancing skills and beat boxing. The elderly women seemed to be thoroughly enjoying their mini performance, some burst out laughing and some dancing along.

Kim Jin Wook visited Tokyo Tower that was just 10 minutes away from their accommodation. But he took a whopping 3 hours and 30 minutes to get to Tokyo Tower. He almost had a break down, saying, “I don’t know how to get to Tokyo Tower!” And after arriving at the Tower after going through much trouble, he had to struggle once again looking for a female actor who would reenact the scene with him. Despite everyone’s guess that he will be breezing through the mission, he was the only one who failed to complete the given mission.

When the five members were done with the mission (with the exception of one member), they all visited Tokyo Tower and spent time going on rides. Their charismatic and powerful selves were gone, and they melted the hearts of the viewers with their cute, naïve and clumsy sides. WINNER, the five members who are evolving from being trainees to official artists… their charm is being peeled one by one, just like peeling an onion. They are building a more solid fan base through ‘WINNER TV’. Fans are more and more excited as each episode comes to an end, to see what will be showcased in the following one.

© YG-LIFE