[Herald Interview] Pentagon vocalist Hui opens up about ‘Boys Planet’ experience

For Hui, an experienced vocalist of K-pop boy band Pentagon who has been active since 2016, every moment spent shooting Mnet’s K-pop competition "Boys Planet" was a challenge.

“I was under a lot of pressure when I was looking forward to my first stage in the show because as an experienced artist, I faced higher expectations to do better. So I showed off as much talent as I could on stage. I don’t even remember myself performing because I was so nervous,” said Hui in an interview with The Korea Herald on Wednesday.

A remarkable amount of opposition coming from his agency Cube Entertainment, and some of his bandmates added to the pressure he was under.

“They were really worried about it because I had already debuted with Pentagon and I’ve even taken part in other survival shows as a producer. But I thought I had to do this because I thought I faced the fact that the time has come to show something different, the real me,” said Hui.

His decision to take part in the survival show came as many of the other members of Pentagon were serving their compulsory military duty.

“Because of my Pentagon fans who are looking forward to a full unit comeback of the group, I thought I had to do well and bring a good synergy effect to the group after participating in this show. I want to thank all my fans who supported me throughout this journey,” Hui said.

Hui’s finished in 13th, failing to make the final nine who would debut as Zerobaseone through the program.

But Hui says it was definitely worth the effort.

“I learned to love myself as I found self-confidence taking part in the show. I was able to show diverse facets of myself through the show, which helped me be more approachable to those who like me,” said Hui.

Hui, born in 1993, was the oldest among the participants, which made him a natural leader on the show, as he shared his experience as a K-pop artist to help other trainees.

“Instead of giving much advice, I tried to listen to their concerns. But one thing that I did tell them was to never give up, because there will be a time when people will recognize the efforts you’ve done,” said Hui.

Likewise, there was a lot Hui learned from the less-experienced young trainees.

“I learned a lot of dancing. I kept asking other trainees to help me out with my performance and also for feedback. All of them have their own unique character and talent. That led me to question my own character and talent and to work on them. Without their advice, I would not have come this far,” said Hui.

“Now I have a bigger dream. I want to aim for the highest I can, like performing on stages abroad that I could’ve never dreamed of. I’m happy to have positively influenced those who have watched the show by showing that it’s never too late to challenge yourself," Hui said.

"I am proud of that and I continuously tell myself that I need to do better to continue giving such positive influence to others.”