Ever wonder what a year-end party for girl groups looked like?
Well Sports Chosun received the opportunity to visit T-ara’s year-end party, which was held at a restaurant in Kangnam. Unlike the blistering cold weather outside, the girls kept up a warm atmosphere until they stated nonchalantly towards the reporter, “We didn’t eat anything because we were told that we’d have delicious food here.” But just how much can girl groups eat?
The menu consisted of a seafood platter, which instantly brightened up the tired faces of the members.Jiyeon, who had just come from recording KBS 2TV’s “Jungle Fish 2,” divided the table in half and began passing plates around. Hyomin soon began asking for the vegetables while Hwa Young took a big bite out of a monk fish.
When asked whether they wanted anything else, the members instantly took up the nearest menu and began ordering crab roe bibimbap and soy sauce crab. Unlike her petite image, Jiyeon ordered a big amount of octopus. The members began chiming in by stating, “She’s really good at eating.” Jiyeon added, “I always have to try the best menu whenever we go to a restaurant.”
A while later, Eunjung joined the team, having dashed straight to the party after her “Dream High” recording. As soon as she sat down, the members immediately began ordering extra food and placing chopsticks before her. Having been unable to eat due to the long filming in the cold weather, Eunjung ate quickly with the rest of the team. In the end, the tab consisted of two dishes of steamed blue crab, two dishes of octopus, two dishes of steamed monk fish, a crab dish, five bowls of crab roe bibimbap, two rice bowls, a tile fish roast, five bottles of sprite, and three cans of coke. After the reporter expressed his surprise at the amount, Eunjung added, “One time, we ate a ton and went straight to the gym.”
The conversation shifted over to their year-end activities, as T-ara explained, “We have a Lotte World event on the 31st and return early in the morning, so we all agreed to just go to bed.” Hyomin stated, “It’s more fun just hanging out by ourselves, so we are planning a year-end party of our own. We’ll be in the car for our schedule when the new year greets us, so maybe we’ll celebrate with a cake and candles. Who will prepare it? A nice person will, right?”
When asked to reveal some of their friendships/relationships with other celebrities, they readily agreed.
Jiyeon’s friendships consisted of fellow castmates from “God of Study” and “Jungle Fish,” includingYoo Seung Ho, Lee Hyun Woo, Go Ah Sung, Kim Su Ro, and Oh Yoon Ah. “I’m able to learn so much from them. We’re all very close.”
‘Baby face’ leader Boram’s best friend was revealed to be f(x)’s Sulli. “There’s a big age gap, but whenever we meet, we chat for at least 3-4 hours at a time. I’m also close with Supernova’s Sungje.”
Qri, on the other hand, refused to reveal any names, stating, “I’m not close with anyone. I’d like to make celebrity friends.” When the other members burst out in laughter, Qri retorted, “I do have a close friend, but I don’t really want to say their name.”
Hyomin revealed her close friendship with the ‘89-line,’ which includes SNSD’s Sunny and 2PM’sWooyoung. “They’re both very mature for their age. Unlike other friends our age, they give me a lot of advice in a straightforward manner. They help me make the right decisions.” Her fellow castmates on “Invincible Youth” also receive Hyomin’s love, as she explained, “We were very awkward at first, and it was, at times, uncomfortable, but we all have similar concerns and became closer by sharing them and giving advice.”
Soyeon revealed a lot of top stars of the Hallyu wave, including Gong Hyung Jin, Song Seung Hun,Oh Ji Ho, and Click-B’s Oh Jong Hyuk. She is also said to have been friends with Lady Jane since before their debut.
When it was Hwa Young’s turn, Hwa Young showed extreme confidence by jokingly stating, “I have a lot of celebrity friends!” Hilariously, her confidence stemmed from the fact that her twin sister’s group,Co-Ed, consists of 10 members. She added with a big smile, “I have 10 celebrity friends! You don’t know how reassuring that helps you feel.”
Eunjung expressed her affections for her fellow “Dream High” castmates Taecyeon, Wooyoung, andSuzy. She is also a part of the ‘88-line’ with KARA’s Gyuri. The two are said to be close enough to casually say ‘I love you‘ to one another. Eunjung explained that Gyuri is the only celebrity friend that she feels comfortable with due to her innocence and similar backgrounds as child actors. Another surprising friendship was with Jang Giha, a member of the friendship group she formed with Gyuri.
To conclude the interview, T-ara reflected on the past year and they each picked something they did well and something they were disappointed about.
Jiyeon started by expressing, “I liked that I was able to promote in a variety of genres such as dramas, movies, and singing. Unfortunately, due to my busy schedule, I was unable to call my parents often. Once, I called them two or three times in a month.”
Boram stated, “This year, our group leadership was suddenly changed over to me. I’m saying this not as the group’s leader but as the group’s oldest, I honestly feel that I haven’t done anything good for the group. I’ve learned more from my dongsengs. I’ll continue to work harder and do my best as the oldest and the leader.”
Qri stated, “I think I did well in withstanding all of the schedules for the year. Unfortunately, because I was tired and busy, I was unable to care for others outside of our members. I couldn’t reply when my family members texted me first, so next year, I hope to be able to pay attention to everyone around me more closely.”
Hyomin stated, “Honestly, there were a lot of hardships and moments of frustration, but I think I did well in overcoming those obstacles and continuing to go on without getting tired. I hate losing, so I often intimidate myself because I feel as if I wasn’t able to protect my pride. My goal is to return to my rookie mindset.”
Soyeon stated, “I was a bit disappointed because we had a lot of individual activities this year, but we’ve been receiving a lot of love, which makes me proud, especially after we won first place on KBS 2TV’s ‘Music Bank.’”
Hwa Young stated, “The biggest happening of the year for me was joining T-ara. I’m just disappointed in the short amount of time I had to prepare. I’ll be working hard to fit in with T-ara.”
Eunjung concluded, “I’m proud of the fact that we’ve done our best for every new concept change with each album release. I’m disappointed in not being able to attend school due to my busy schedule. I really have to attend!”
