Legendary Kpop idol Kim Jaejoong was greatly surprised when he met the group IVE who is 21 years younger than him.
On the most recent episode of The YouTube variety show “Jaechingoo” hosted by Kim Jaejoong, IVE members Gaeul and Leeseo appeared.
The production team mentioned that this was the first appearance of a minor on the show. Leeseo, born in 2007, is only 17 years old, while Kim Jaejoong, who debuted in December 2003 before Leeseo was born, is already 38 years old. Kim Jaejoong exclaimed, “There’s a 21-year age difference between us?”
When Gaeul and Leeseo referred to Kim Jaejoong as “Uncle Jaejoong,” he candidly expressed his discomfort, saying, “Do you want to call me uncle? It hurts my heart to be called Uncle Jaejoong.” When Leeseo asked, “Should I call you older brother?” Kim Jaejoong jokingly replied, “That doesn’t seem right either. I won’t force any titles on you. You can call me sir or grandpa if you want.”
Kim Jaejoong and Leeseo had an unexpected common denominator – both of them have connections to SM Entertainment. Kim Jaejoong was a member of TVXQ during his time with SM Entertainment, while Leeseo was a member of the first generation of SM Kids models. Leeseo revealed, “When I was in second grade, I participated in a piano concerto and met a casting staff member, which led me to audition for the Kids model program. I was active as a Kids model there, and I made my idol debut with Starship.” Gaeul added, “I was also casted by Starship. I was in a dance club in middle school and got casted through a dance competition.” Kim Jaejoong shared, “I auditioned for the ‘SM Top Contest.’ I applied with ‘My singing is great,’ but I got in for ‘My looks are great.'”
IVE, now in its third year since debut, received both Rookie of the Year and Grand Prize awards. Gaeul reminisced, “We were all surprised. We cried together.” In response, Kim Jaejoong expressed his support, saying, “The reason I like and support IVE is because I can feel how hard they work.” He also mentioned that he saw them during their activities in Japan.
As their final remarks, Gaeul expressed gratitude, saying, “To be honest, I was worried before coming here. I wondered if I would be able to talk well in front of senior Kim Jaejoong, but he led the conversation and made me feel comfortable.” Gaeul said, “I’m happy because I had a fun, delicious, and good time.” Kim Jaejoong smiled happily and promised to do a challenge together.
Source: (A)
