Kim Jonghyun discusses his feelings after military service, expressing joy, reflections on routine, and the importance of fan support.

Kim Jonghyun (JR of NU'EST) spoke about his feelings after being discharged from the military. Recently, he gave an interview to OSEN at the EVERMORE Entertainment building in Gangnam, Seoul. He enlisted in September 2024 and was discharged on the 22nd of last month. Four days after his discharge, when asked about his thoughts on finishing military service, he smiled and said, "As I mentioned in the live broadcast, everything seems more beautiful... Just being at home alone naturally makes me smile, and I feel, 'I really have come back.'" He also shared, "The day before my discharge, I thought, 'Am I dreaming?' It felt like time was flowing slowly in the military, but after I slept a bit after being discharged and woke up, I realized I really had been discharged. I can say time passed quickly, but also slowly. Right now, I am filled with happiness. I feel like I can do anything." Regarding his military life, he said, "Rather than it being tough, I think the environment where I had to follow a managed life made time feel longer." He reflected, "Having three meals a day, with all break times, work hours, and sleep times set, I think that routine for over 500 days made time feel slow." He mentioned that he was surprised to find he could sleep early, saying, "I think the rhythm of going to bed at night and waking up in the morning suited me. When I was active before, I sometimes went to bed at night and woke up in the afternoon, and during busy times, I would work after only 2-3 hours of sleep. The regular life rhythm seems to have remained in my current lifestyle, and I want to maintain it as much as possible." He served as an assistant instructor in the 15th Infantry Division of the Army. Reflecting on his experience as an instructor, he said, "I met various trainees and felt, 'There are people like this and that.'" Having been active in the entertainment industry from a young age, he noted, "It's true that I started living as a working adult, but I felt there were few opportunities to learn among my peers. I realized that in the military." He continued, "I enlisted a bit later than my peers, but being in an environment with younger generations allowed me to be exposed to the latest trends. It was a valuable experience to meet diverse people." Having led a group for about ten years, he confessed the difference between that and his experience as an instructor, saying, "There is a big difference between leading a small group and leading over 200 trainees." When asked if the trainees followed well, he revealed, "We trained for 5-6 weeks each period and sent them off. There were tough days during the seven periods I was in charge, but they followed well, and I think there was a lot of effort to respond when I communicated properly." He also shared an episode as a 'celebrity instructor,' saying, "It's a bit embarrassing to say myself, but I heard trainees passing by say, 'Why is that instructor so handsome?'" He added, "So sometimes I was asked, 'Are instructors selected based on looks?' and I would reply, 'It's not based on looks; we judge by character and attitude in training.' However, some trainees later realized I was a celebrity." He continued, "Baekho was assigned to another division in the area where I served and is still serving, but among the trainees who completed basic training, some are assigned to that unit. One trainee said, 'I saw a very handsome instructor passing by, and it turned out to be Jonghyun.'" Baekho enlisted in December last year, just before Jonghyun's discharge. Regarding this, Jonghyun mentioned that Baekho attended the completion ceremony after finishing basic training and when asked what they talked about, he said, "Rather than any special tricks, I think there will be many things to learn from the seniors, but the most important thing is how to utilize your leave, so I told him to try to collect as many reward points as possible." He said he mainly spent his time exercising during service, stating, "When I took leave, I met with members and saw many people I hadn't been able to meet before." When asked if he talked a lot about military life with NU'EST members, he replied, "Yes, we did. They would say, 'Stop talking about the military already,' but I would respond, 'But the only thing I can talk about now is military life.'" He continued, "It's not that I was frustrated, but since I was talking about military life so much, they said, 'Let's talk about something else,' but I couldn't switch topics easily. Before I knew it, I was talking about military life again," which drew laughter. The members are currently active in various fields. When asked if they talk a lot about each other's solo activities when they meet, Jonghyun said, "Yes. We know about each other's activities. We exchange conversations like, 'You're doing this now, right?' 'How was it?' 'It was like this.' It's like how people working in a company talk about, 'How's the company now? How's work?'" He conveyed that even without directly saying it, they always support each other. "The closer we are, the less we contact each other, right? We don't always contact each other, but we do reach out 2-3 times a month. Once we do, it tends to be a long conversation," he shared, conveying their family-like relationship. About a year and a half of military service brought significant changes to Jonghyun. He said, "I think I often limited myself before. Whenever I tried to challenge something, I would think through each detail, confirming, 'Is this really okay?' and 'Can I do this?' But now, I feel that burden has lightened a bit. I want to actively engage in what I can do now and what I can challenge because of who I am now. Even when I traveled before, I felt a lack of freedom, as if I was bound by something, but now I want to travel more and increase my personal outings. Of course, I still value work very much, but I felt much more pressure before than I do now. From now on, I want to work hard on the tasks given to me while also taking proper breaks when I want to rest and going out when I want to go out," he revealed his positive changes. When asked about the cause of such 'pressure,' Jonghyun said, "I think it largely comes from my personality. I am very conservative, so I thought I had to uphold everything I should protect." He added, "But in reality, there are many things in life that don't need to be strictly upheld. Even small things, I used to tell myself, 'That's not okay.'" He continued, "Recently, I've been thinking, 'Do I really need to uphold even those small things at the expense of my freedom and enjoyment?'" He revealed his change in mindset. When asked what prompted this way of thinking, he said, "I think it was seeing the peers and trainees I lived with in the military. When I asked, 'What will you do on leave?' they often said, 'I will travel with my family,' 'I will go to Japan,' or 'I went out for drinks with my peers,' and seeing that made me feel, 'They are really enjoying their youth.'" He continued, "Of course, it is difficult to enjoy fully while in the military, but I realized that when on leave, they are trying to enjoy what they want to do and eat. That made me reconsider myself during military life. When I thought, 'Have I really done what I wanted to do outside of work?' I felt I hadn't done enough." When pointed out that the uniqueness of his profession might influence this, Jonghyun agreed, saying, "That's why I thought, 'I should try not to care too much about people's views and live as the real Kim Jonghyun.'" He explained that he used to always act considering how he would be perceived, but now he feels less hesitation in expressing his true self. He further shared, "Even during interviews, I used to check the questions in advance and prepare thoroughly. But now, I think, 'I want to speak as much as possible from my feelings.'" He expressed his current more natural self. During his military life, he realized the love and importance of fans, saying, "I received a lot of letters. During my time as a trainee, I spent my days reading letters from fans. At that time, I could only use my phone for about an hour on weekends, so outside of work hours, reading letters was all I could do. Reading them made me feel a strong sense of gratitude again." He added, "After being assigned to the unit, fans came to the completion ceremony, sent snacks from time to time, and held events. Seeing that made me feel really supported and grateful again." When asked if he plans to visit the event venue prepared by fans for his upcoming birthday, he replied, "First, I have a tour scheduled, but if the timing works out, I would love to go," showing his unchanged feelings for his fans.