[141229] EXOLOGY Chapter 1: On Stage & Off Stage

xiuminpanntranslations:

Sources: xom99102168, paxiuta
Translated by Elly

Interview:

Q. Most people who start exercising set a goal for themselves, so what is Xiumin’s goal?

A. I’m not the type who wants to build a lot of muscles. If I do that, my body lines won’t look good during performances. My goal is to build lean muscles, and to build muscles on parts that are lacking, and to build a type of body that clothes will hang well on.

Q. Was it possible to dance while fasting as part of your diet?

A. It was harder because of that. What was more upsetting was after our promotional activities stopped, I gained about 10 kg during our two months rest. What’s scary is if you try to lose weight without eating, you’ll gain a lot of weight even if you eat a little bit.

Q. What’s your dieting method then?

A. My trainer told me I should eat whatever I want to eat. But he also said ‘you have to exercise as much as you eat’. The exercises I’m doing are very hard.

Q. Can we expect to see Xiumin-ssi’s well-maintained abs in the next album?

A. Huhu, then I’ll set my goal to be showing off my abs during our next album promotions…

Q. How many times do you typically exercise every week?

A. Ah, that’s the problem. It’s hard to exercise when we have schedules early in the morning. But I think I exercise about 10 to 15 times every month. 20 if I have more time.

Q. Since when did you include exercising as your hobby?

A. Around summer this year. I liked exercising since before that, but I didn’t have the time to do it. After we announced ‘Overdose’ and before our concert, there was a bit of free time so I started exercising more seriously around there.

Q. What does Xiumin-ssi mostly do in the waiting room?

A. I go around here and there, or exercise, or I do image training for our performance.

Q. Who is the member you talk to the most in the waiting room?

A. I talk a lot with Chen. Very minor chats about our everyday life.

Q. Before you go to sleep at your hotel, what do you do?

A. I usually monitor my performance for the day.

Q. Did you go shopping during this year’s Japan concerts too, Xiumin-ssi?

A. No, I didn’t go out. I’ve never gone shopping overseas. It’s not that I don’t shop, but I don’t enjoy shopping. But I like going out to eat.

Q. I’m curious about the playlist you had on while going back and forth between concerts, airports, and your dorm.

A. This song and that song, I listened to a lot of different music. But as expected, the one that’s the most memorable is TVXQ sunbaenim’s ‘Catch Me’.

Q. Is there a musician you thought of while preparing for your first concert?

A. TVXQ sunbaenims. After seeing ‘Rising Sun’ on TV, they’ve been my musical idols. I dreamed about doing an amazing stage like them.

Q. Is there anything special Xiumin-ssi prepared for your first concert tour?

A. I changed up the ending to my solo stage. Since it’s my solo stage that I don’t do together with the EXO members, I could do whatever I wanted. So even though it was the same performance, I still wanted to give it a little change every time. The overall frame would be the same, only the ending was changed a little bit. I would like it if that could be a gift to the fans. But the more stages we did, the less ideas I could squeeze out until I couldn’t think of a different ending no matter how hard I tried. On some stages I concluded by improvising on what I thought of just then.

Q. If you were to assess your first concert tour, between satisfaction and regret, which side is it closer to?

I’m satisfied with it. Of course there are parts I’m dissatisfied with, but I’m satisfied with the fact that EXO was able to do their first concert tour.

Q. When did you have the hardest time during your concert tour?

I’m the type who sweats a lot. So it takes up a lot of stamina when we perform in humid regions. But I would get my strength back when I saw the fans’ passionate responses.

Q. Before you go on stage, something you tell yourself?

A. To do it perfectly today too. And to work hard!

Q. A member you admire despite them being a fellow member?

A. Kai. Kai’s stages are fantastic.

Q. What part of him makes you praise him to that extent?

A. He’s very harsh on himself about his performances. Kai has passion, soul, and a narrow-minded pursuit of perfection. That’s why his stages are so great.

Q. As a musician, which part do you have the most confidence in: dancing or singing?

A. To be honest, I don’t think I’m exceptional on any front. I just want to work hard on everything. I hope to be the best together with my members.

Q. Please tell us your thoughts on having your first concert tour.

A. As someone who’s only watched concerts as an audience member, the fact that I’m able to show what I can do on stage is extremely exciting. It’s like I’m dreaming. That’s why my sense of responsibility is even bigger. I also have ambitions of showing even better stages in the future.

Other sections:

Xiumin

MAKE UP

We focus on his eye makeup. Using toned down eyeshadow, we spread it out over his eyelids for shading, and to avoid having the various eyeshadow colors clash, we pay particular attention to the gradation. When lining his eyes, instead of using eyeliner, we use eyeshadow and blend it to give the illusion of lining. To give more depth to his makeup, we finish it off with color lenses.

HAIR

Xiumin is a member who likes changing his hairstyle, and enjoys trying new things. His hairline is pretty and is grown in well, so he suits hairstyles that show off his forehead. But since his head shape is pretty and his face shape is oval, he looks good in any hairstyle.

BEAUTY SECRET

Periodic use of facial masks. Depending on the condition of my skin, I use various different types, but I mostly look for ones that give my skin noticeable relief in a short period of time.

Interview with Lee Seunghwan Manager:

Xiumin has a baby face but he’s the team’s mathyung. Xiumin’s secret is that he works incredibly hard at self-maintenance without the knowledge of others. When you look at his old pictures that are floating around the internet, he was very chubby when he was younger, wasn’t he? But with an incredible amount of exercise and self-maintenance, the Xiumin you see today was born. Even today, he works very hard to show the fans his best on stage.

Interview with EXO’s stylists:

> Xiumin really likes the sporty look

> If it’s Xiumin then it’s the sporty look. He likes wearing sportswear.

>Xiumin purchases sportswear jerseys often.

Xiumin uses Hugo Boss Selection Men Eau de Toilette.

t/n: Full scans of the interview are not available so the questions may be out of order in the beginning. I’m also not sure about the perfume name since I directly romanized it from what it said in Korean.