[Subs-Last Ep.] Hyungjun becomes a progamer! - Page 167

Shark: Making his second debut as an entertainer
'I want to be both an entertaining host and leaguer [T/N: im assuming caster?]'



Shark, who has served as a progamer for over 7 years, makes a new debut as a television show host.

Despite his lengthy career, shark has not really stood out in terms of performance. In ProLeague, he was always in the shadows of his teammates July(Startale) and HyuN(MBC Hero). In the OSL and MSL, he never made a deep run, and the name Shark slowly faded from his fans' memory.

Recently, Shark has been raising his value as a television personality rather than as a progamer. Shark has been solidifying his position in a wide variety of shows such as @Play, User's Taste, Company of Heroes League and Elite School League. Shark has been assuming the role of a caster at times, while at other time he would become the entertainer, on MBC Game (the channel). We were able to meet with him on an afternoon when he was free of obligations.

After settling on a time with the interviewer, he showed up early due to the proximity of the MBC Game center. After ordering our drinks, we formally began shark's interview.

▶Shark and his new career as a television personality

Shark has been concentrating on developing himself as a television personality rather than a gamer recently. He still retains his progamer license, but his once practice-laden schedule is now occupied by recordings of shows he appears in. When asked what he's been up to lately, Shark said, “I've been really busy."

“I've been taking a break, appearing on shows airing on MBC Game as an entertainer. Even though I live with my teammates, since I don't have much time to practice, I've just been helping them through talking. Recently I've been getting lessons to improve my performance [T/N: 역량, which directly translates to performance, usually refers to a person's ability to talk in the media sector], and I've been trying my best during recordings. I made my first appearance through the show ‘@Play.' I had a pretty tight relationship with MBC Game's writer Jin Kyo Joon, and one day Nam Joon Won PD and Jin Kyo Joon suggested I try hosting a show for fun, and I got really into it. I had extra incentive to concentrate on becoming a television personality because I was starting to have doubts about the viability of continuing to be a gamer in the future. However, I lack as a television personality when compared to other professionals, so I've been going to a speaking tutor, and just been trying my best overall.”

Shark has been as busy as he was when he was gaming full time. Although life as a television personality allows him more free time than a gamer's, he has been allotting extra time to adjust to his new life and improve his abilities as an entertainer, and has been busy 24/7 as a result.

“For the show User's Taste, we have recordings twice a week. I've also been doing @Play, Company of Heroes League, and Elite School League. Since they are not live, I don't have to be at the studio everyday, and I have a pretty long time to prep for each recording, so it's not that bad. I wouldn't necessarily say it's been hectic, but rather I've just been trying to squeeze every minute out of my schedule to learn and improve myself, so i'm happy. In terms of [casting] leagues, Company of Heroes League and Elite School League were my first experiences, but caster Kim Chul min has been helping me alot. Caster Yoo Dae Hyun has been helping me improve as an entertainer, as well as giving me advice on casting. I talk to him alot throughout the day and he has been helping me with everything starting from the very basics.”



Shark says that he found new joy in his life as a television show host that was lacking when he was a progamer. Shark has been trying to show a new side of himself with every episode aired, and concentrating on improving his weaknesses as well. Through all that, Shark is already on the fast track to becoming a television star.

“The shows I host are @Play and User's Taste, both of which are live. I get stressed out because nothing can be editted out even if I screw up. Also, If I act the same in both shows, I thought the shows would lose their unique personalities, so I've been trying to lead each show with different styles. During @Play, I've led with a stricter style, concentrating on coherent progression with minimal sidetracking, while on User's Taste, caster Park Sang Hyun has been leading so I just try to go along comfortably. I could always use more constructive criticism and advice from the fans (Laughs)”


▶Life as an television personality and not a gamer..

For Shark, who has been a progamer for the past 7 years, his life right now is a succession of days filled with unfamiliarity and novelty. Shark said, “Everything around me is an opportunity to learn," showing his appreciation for his new life. Furthermore, Shark seems to have a new outlook on life after escaping from the ‘practice after practice’ lifestyle and leading the life of a normal citizen. Like the old saying ‘Only after entering the real world, one can truly appreciate the days as a student.’ Shark reflected on his time as a progamer as "the happiest time in his life."

“I've taken a new perspective on life. I don't know if this is because I've been a progamer for so long, but recently as I've been concentrating on my new-found career in media, I look at other progamers with great respect, as I feel they are the main protagonists of the e-sports industry. I've only recently realized that life as a gamer is both the easiest yet the most difficult, but more importantly glorious. The best part about progaming is that when you live with your teammates you don't really realize it's a hard life.”

“Sometimes as you live with your teammates, you have disagreements scheduling conflicts [T/N: I'm assuming it pertains to different practice schedules due to individual leagues]. Recently I've been meeting alot of people who aren't gamers, and I've been having lots of conversations and reading a lot of books. Caster Han Seung Yup has told me to meet alot of people before going to the military. I've been trying to share what I've earned through these experiences with my teammates.”

“I've never had a life like this. When I was in school, I was busy trying to fit both gaming and studying into my schedule, and once I joined my team, I was just busy gaming all the time. This is the first time living life without gaming, and living a normal life like anybody else. I always have alot of things I want to learn. I would look at something and realize that there are alot of interesting things around me that I never paid attention to before. I used to only follow up on celebrity gossip but recently I've taken interest in what's going on in news regarding society and politics. I've just been living with the mindset of a student in terms of everything. Progamers have to focus on just one aspect of life, but I have a much wider perspective now so I've been experiencing and reflecting on various parts of it.”



▶Unrealized dreams and regret

As mentioned before, Shark has been unable to make a mark in the gaming world despite his lengthy career. When asked to reflect upon his 7-year-long career, Shark seemed hard pressed to find words to describe the regrets that he had.

“I'm regretful I was never able to win anything, and even moreso that I was unable to rein as top dog, which was my dream. Now that I come to think of it, I think players who are above others must have a special amount of dedication and insights gained from the process of getting there. I just don't think I had what it took, and want to give it my all in my new-found career as an entertainer. I want to achieve what I couldn't as a progamer.”

“I remember the game against RuBy as my last televised match. Even now as I watch the VOD, I think my opening was very innovative and brilliant(Laughs). However I lost concentration in late-game and lost the game. During that game I realized my passion for the game had died down alot. Who knows, maybe that loss to Ruby was what led me to my new career in media(Laughs)”

Some might say Shark was more easily able to debut as a television personality because he served as a progamer on MBC Game. Shark agrees that “It was only possible due to MBC Game's help that an unpopular progamer like myself could start anew as a television show host,” thanking his current team, MBC Game.

“I am so happy to have been a progamer under MBC Game. To be honest, it's common for players with no name value like myself to be forced into retirement [T/N: I took liberty in interpreting what the nuance of the passage suggested, some may interpret it simply as 'to retire' without outside pressure] but MBC Game gave me a chance to begin a new career as an entertainer. I've been able to acquaint myself with the lead producer during my stay at MBC Game, and I am thankful that I was given a second chance to succeed”



▶ Shark with Cho Kyu Hyun, and Kim Jun Soo?

Recently Shark had his moment of fame when somebody captured a photo of him with JYJ's Kim Jun Soo at a ski resort [T/N: JYJ is a branch-off of a famous idol group called Dong Bang Shin Ki (DBSK), or some might know it as the Eastern Miracle]. Shark has repeatedly gained attention from fans due to his familiarity with popular celebrities, and he boasts a deep friendship with SuperJunior's [T/N: Another mega-popular idol group] Cho Kyu Hyun, and JYJ's Kim Jun Soo.

However Shark says that his familiarity with celebrities is not something special. He says he was just lucky to get to know good people, and it wasn't a result of him having an especially wide social network or him trying to make connections with famous people in particular.

“I don't think my social network is particularly large. Thanks to coach Ha (MBC Game's ex-coach) I met SuperJunior's Cho Kyu Hyun, and we happened to be the same age, and got along well. From there we became good friends, and keep in close touch to this day. Kim Jun Soo is a little different in that I've just been getting alot of advice from him since he has been at the top for so long”

“I recently went to a ski resort with some guys. I was very excited to go but the weather was so cold we couldn't snowboard alot. It was so cold that I felt like my face was gonna fall off, so we just ate Sam Gyup Sal (Korean bbq, think of a less crispy and more juicy version of bacon) and played inside. A lot of us couldn't drink well so we just played drinking games with non-alcoholic beverages which was kind of a pain(Laughs)”

▶ Shark, and his future goals…

Shark seems more comfortable as an entertainer than as a progamer now. He said it himself that he is more adjusted to the 'Entertainer Shark' rather than the ‘Progamer Shark’ now. Despite obstacles such as lack of experience, speaking and military, Shark retains his smile. Shark says “If I keep my mindset as a student, and don't lose my attitude of starting on a clean slate, I believe I can overcome those obstacles," showing his resolution to tackle problems with a positive attitude.

“Of course I am lacking as a television personality in many areas. Since my voice is high-pitched and thin, I have had my share of slip-ups on live broadcastings. I've been trying to improve my vocals through practice but it's not as easy as it sounds. I've been living with this voice for the past 24 years so even though I've been trying my best to change it, it's been hard. My voice cracks easily, too, so I've been trying to calm myself during broadcasts. However the Company of Heroes League has casters Kim Chul Min and Kang Hyun Jong, while Elite School League has casters Park Sang Hyun and Yoo Dae Hyun helping me constantly, so I haven't lost hope that my vocals will improve gradually. Recently I read a book called ‘The Rule of 18 Hours’ and its message was that whatever you do, you will succeed with 18 hours of effort [T/N: I am assuming he means 18 hours out of the 24 hours in a day.] You don't necessarily have to be doing that exact thing for 18 hours, you just need to be thinking about it and trying to improve even during times that you are not necessarily engaged in it. It's a self-improvement guide, and after reading it I've gained a new mentality.”



“Military?...I don't have a specific plan as of yet. I still have 3 years to graduate school, so during that time I am planning to give my all to the task at hand. I think if I can achieve something during these next 3 years, I will be able to continue my career as an entertainer after I come back from the army.”

At this point, it was already getting close to the end of the interview. When asked if he had anything else he wanted to say, Shark said “I am truly sorry to all my fans, but I hope you can trust and support me in my decision and cheer for me all the same," expressing his ambition as a entertainer while asking his fans for support.

“Alot of people are concerned about the fact that I am jumping into becoming a television personality even before retiring from progaming, but I hope you can understand my decision as this is something I am passionate about. I thought this through long and hard before deciding, so please give me strength. I am sorry to all those that loved me as Shark the progamer. I will succeed as Shark the entertainer.”

“I want to succeed as a television personality within the realm of esports. I want to become a caster like Yoo Dae Hyun, who has a smooth yet powerful voice. I also want to learn caster Han Seung Yup's clean, coherent progression. In one of his past interviews, caster Kim Jung Min said that he was able to succeed as a caster despite having neither good vocals nor the ability to piece together a coherent sentence, so based on his success, others who are passionate should definitely be able to succeed. I will take that to heart and try my best to succeed as a caster. Of course at the same time I want to become a successful entertainer as well. I will make sure to succeed in both directions!”

Shark's interview, which was conducted for about an hour with the intent of finding out his future plans and goals, came to an end. I will end with some things Shark told me to add through phone after we had said goodbye.

“I want to say thanks to producer Lee Suk Hoon and lead coach Sung Hak Seung, who always do their best for the team. I believe they can have a fruitful round 3 since the team's atmosphere is not all that bad. Additionally, I hope that all our players in the A team and B team roster can achieve results that show the ungodly amount of effort they put in during practice, and I will be there every step of the way to cheer them on. I will do my best to become the greatest entertainer. Happy new years to all our fans.”

Source: Fomos