Fifth Gen Idol Confesses He Cried Everyday As A Trainee, Wanting To Give Up
ZEROBASEONE, a project boy group that debuted through the Mnet show Boy’s Planet, has successfully made a name for itself in the cut-throat K-Pop industry in less than a year of debuting. Matthew, a member of the boy group, recently opened up about the road that led to his debut, shedding light on the excruciating difficulties of trainee life.
In a solo interview with Style Magazine, Matthew talked in detail about his unexpected debut, explaining that he joined Boys Planet just for the experience. Eventually, he found the drive to give it his all when the possibility of making it to the final lineup with groupmate Hanbin started to look real.
I never dreamed I’d debut, so I thought if I got eliminated early, I’d go back to Canada and brag to my friends that I was on TV (laughs). But as the possibility of debuting grew, and with Hanbin hyung‘s good ranking the hope of debuting together motivated me to work even harder. Seeing the possibility of achieving my dream, I couldn’t just do it half-heartedly.
— Matthew
However, making it this far was anything but easy. The idol admitted that he found it extremely difficult to adjust to a foreign country’s environment without any of his familiar support systems.
I came to Korea with confidence, but being here without my family or friends was tough. My Korean wasn’t good either.
— Matthew
Matthew confessed that he would cry every day to his parents, wishing to quit. But his mother’s strong response gave him the necessary push to keep on trying.
I called my parents, crying every day, wanting to give up. Once, I told my mom, “‘I really can’t do this,’ and she, who always said I could come back anytime, told me firmly, ‘You gave up university for this. If you quit now, you won’t achieve anything.’ It was the first time she talked to me like that. Her words made me realize that quitting whenever things get tough wouldn’t be good for me. So, I decided to stick it out.
— Matthew
Thankfully, Matthew’s perseverance paid off, and now, a year after his debut, ZEROBASEONE has successfully released their third mini album, with an Asia tour on its way.
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