The ambassadors of ‘positive thinking’, IVE's Jang Won-young and Ahn Yu-jin, successfully captured the hearts of viewers with their candid stories.
In the episode of tvN's entertainment program ‘You Quiz on the Block’ aired on the 15th, Jang Won-young and Ahn Yu-jin, the protagonists of the ‘Wonyoung Thought’ that brought a positive syndrome to South Korea, appeared in a special ‘Lucky Biki’ segment and showcased their wit.
Jang Won-young, the creator of the ‘Lucky Biki’ meme that swept South Korea in 2024, opened up by saying, “Since ‘Lucky Biki’ is a way of thinking positively, it can be confused with self-justification, but in fact, it started with finding small happiness and gratitude in everyday life.”
Jang Won-young revealed that ‘Lucky Biki’ is not something that suddenly appeared, but rather a culmination of thoughts developed since childhood, saying, “If I think about it carefully, I feel like I have lived this way since I was young.” She mentioned that while she could be considered optimistic, when bad things happened, instead of focusing on the negative, she thought, ‘What comes next?’ Thanks to that, she feels she has never been isolated by bad events. She added, “It really seems true that ‘this too shall pass’.”
The two also candidly shared behind-the-scenes stories about their entry into the entertainment industry. Jang Won-young, who was cast on the spot after coincidentally meeting a representative from her current agency at her sister Jang Da-ah's graduation ceremony, said, “I think of it as fate that the person chose me and left three days later. In the entertainment industry, it’s common to meet someone at least once. I have met many people, but I have not seen that person since then,” surprising everyone with her revelation.
In contrast to Jang Won-young, who was cast by fate, Ahn Yu-jin actively sought out the company to become a celebrity. Ahn Yu-jin shared, “When I was 14, I went to an end-of-year music awards ceremony. While watching the stage, I saw the color of the cheering sticks and thought they were beautiful. I wished that the light was directed at me, so I searched for ‘how to become an idol’ on a portal site.”
Ahn Yu-jin mentioned that she discovered the audition application through an intellectual and said, “I found a photo and sent it, and they asked me to send a video of me singing. I sent a video of myself singing ‘I hope it would be like this now’.” She added, “In fact, I didn’t just send it to our company; I sent emails to several places. The first company to contact me quickly was ours. After the audition, they came all the way to Daejeon to meet me. They treated me to delicious food. My parents and I met, and they said they wanted to work seriously with me, so I joined.”
Ahn Yu-jin revealed that after living as a trainee, she faced her first trial when she participated in the idol survival program Mnet’s ‘Produce 48’. She stated, “The audition program was my first trial. Looking back at the past, I thought, ‘I am loved, and people seem to like me,’ but participating in the audition program made me realize that there are people in the world who dislike me.”
She continued, “In fact, there aren’t many people who directly say, ‘I hate you’ in life. It took time to accept that there are people who don’t like me even if I haven’t done anything wrong.” She added, “As the rankings were determined by votes every week, I started to feel trapped in that world.”
In relation to this, Ahn Yu-jin said, “During my trainee days, I had confidence that I could do it, but there were times when I didn’t receive support, and there were people who disliked me. It was like being an office worker who could check evaluations 24/7. I wanted to check it in the early morning and as soon as I woke up, and I unconsciously thought, ‘How do others see me?’ which created fear.”
Regarding the difficult experience of participating in the audition program, Jang Won-young defined it by saying, “I can sum it up in one word: I was young, so I could do it because I didn’t know. If I had known, I wouldn’t have been able to do it.”
Having gone through a tough process to debut from IZ*ONE to IVE, the two said they learned and felt a lot through their world tour. In particular, Ahn Yu-jin confessed, “Through the world tour, I realized for the first time that the world is so vast and there are many things I don’t know. What I felt was serious could actually be nothing when I think broadly, and it made me realize that it might not be a big deal that could shake me.”
Jang Won-young spoke about the tension of being on a big stage, saying, “I don’t get very nervous. Rather than feeling nervous, I always look forward to that stage and focus on what I have prepared, not on the nervousness. I have to show everything I practiced in a short time, so I don’t think about being nervous.”
On the other hand, Ahn Yu-jin said, “I am the type to get nervous. I get more nervous on stages where I want to do well. Every time, I think, ‘All these people like me.’ Then it becomes very easy. Since there are people who like me no matter what I do, I have a mindset that it’s okay. Thinking, ‘The people here are mine,’ makes me less nervous,” revealing her ‘Yujin Thought’.
The two also shared their recent concerns. Jang Won-young said, “You think happiness is the most important thing, but there are many things you have to do or hear due to others. As Jang Won-young, I might not want to hear those words, but the stress that comes every time I have to do something due to others is my biggest concern.” She added, “Every time this happens, I think, ‘I am the owner of this life,’ and living proactively solves it.”
Jang Won-young stated, “There are people who have never seen me as a ‘person to person’ and who only know a small part of me judging based on a few seconds of video, which doesn’t hurt me much. There are people like that, but there are many who like me, so that’s enough.” She continued, “I accept and correct the mistakes I made, and when a big trial comes, I believe that if I endure it, there will be double the fortune. I believe there is definitely a reward. There’s a saying that ‘there is no pain without reward.’ I think I approach my life as an entertainer and Jang Won-young with this in mind. When it gets too hard, I remind myself, ‘There is no pain without reward.’ Even if there is no reward afterward, just believing in it gives me comfort and motivation to move forward.”
Regarding her goals for 2025, Ahn Yu-jin said, “I really hope to be healthy. I hope to work hard on my schedule and take care of myself while wishing that many people have a healthy year.” Jang Won-young emphasized, “I hope it will be a year of composure. I hope it will be a year where I am not greatly surprised or elevated. Nevertheless, the most important thing is health and safety.”
[Geum Bit-na, MK Sports Reporter]
