NCT Dream members Jeno and Jaemin recently revealed that they’ve known Kim Jong Kook since they were kids, thanks to his appearances on popular variety shows.
On Thursday, Kim Jong Kook’s YouTube channel, Gym Jong Kook, uploaded a new video titled “Grow Your Chest… Dream” (Feat. NCT Dream’s Jeno & Jaemin, Athlete Choi Han Jin).
In the video, Jeno and Jaemin engage in a lighthearted conversation with Kim Jong Kook while receiving fitness advice. When Kim Jong Kook learns Jaemin’s surname is Na, he jokingly asks, “That’s pretty rare. Do you know producer Na Young Seok?” Jaemin quickly responds, “Not at all,” prompting Kim Jong Kook to laugh and add, “You might get a call from him soon.”
When the topic turned to Jeno’s name, Kim Jong Kook asked, “Is Jeno a Chinese character name?” Jeno explained, “It’s actually my baptismal name. My grandfather wanted my given name to sound similar, so he chose Chinese characters that match the pronunciation.”
Kim Jong Kook then commented on Jeno’s appearance: “You have a very masculine look. I would’ve expected a former child actor to have a cute face, but you look very manly. Jaemin probably looked more baby-faced when he was younger.” Jeno, a popular child star in commercials, chuckled and admitted, “I’ve changed quite a bit.”
The conversation naturally shifted to fitness habits within NCT Dream. Jaemin said, “I try to work out consistently,” while Jeno added, “I’ve been exercising since I was about 21.” Now 25, Jeno’s comment amused Kim Jong Kook, who laughed and said, “When you said 21, I thought that was ages ago!”
Both Jeno and Jaemin also shared their long-standing familiarity with Kim Jong Kook. Jeno elaborated, “I first became aware of you through variety shows.” They even recognized X-Man, the hit early-2000s show that helped boost Kim Jong Kook’s popularity. The production team said, “In cases like this, kids usually learn about shows like X-Man from their parents watching them.” Jaemin added, “I watched a lot of Running Man, too, but that was when I was old enough to remember it.”
The conversation took a humorous turn when the topic of their parents’ ages came up. Jaemin shared that his parents were born in 1971, while Jeno’s were born in 1974. Kim Jong Kook, born in 1976, laughed awkwardly, noting the small age gap and saying, “Well, they’re both technically my older brothers.”
Jaemin also revealed that he briefly competed as a short-track speed skater during elementary school. He quickly laughed, “But that was so long ago, it hardly counts!”
In other news, NCT Dream recently made their much-anticipated comeback with their fourth studio album, Dreamscape.
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