Q) Please introduce yourself.

A) Hi, nice to meet you! I am Haneul, who you might recognize from the MBC M survival show FAN PICK, but I am more than just a K-POP trainee and I hope it will shine through during this interview.

Q) What inspired you to want to become an idol?

A) Hanging on to K-POP during hard times inspired me to be that light for more people after me, as a way to return the help I received back then. I want to be someone you can look up to for hope, healing and inspiration.

Q) What were your childhood aspirations for the future? Have you been dreaming about becoming an idol since childhood or was it something completely different?

A) I have had many different aspirations from when I was a child, from engineer to maestro to fireman to idol. However, I’ve always been artsy throughout those periods, dreaming of combining all my passions for the performing arts, graphic arts, any form of creativity I am versed in. When I thought of becoming ‘just’ a singer, or ‘just’ an actor, I felt like I would not be as fulfilled as I could also be a dancer, a producer, and everything else at once. I always had a hard time making decisions because I am afraid of wasting the potential of all the possible paths.

Q) How old were you when you joined your first company? Is there any story behind it?

A) I joined my first company when I was 20.

Q) You were a contestant on FAN PICK. How did you come to hear about the show, and what inspired you to audition?

A) As for FAN PICK, I got casted last minute, so I didn’t really know about the making of the show until they wanted me. I passed all the rounds within a week and got confirmed on the day right before the first stage. I was really nervous on the first day of shooting, because I could not prepare as thoroughly as the other trainees in just the few hours I was given, but everything works out in the end.

Q) You are in the process of creating your own brand called ‘CIELARIS’. Tell us a bit more about the process and the driving force behind the project.

A) That’s right! I am working hard on opening it. The driving force behind it is no other than Polaris, who encouraged me to do some more design – which is a great hobby of mine – and start my own brand. I named it CIELARIS because it is a creation born from my precious bond with Polaris. Ciel is my French name, and Polaris is the name the fandom chose for themselves, becoming CIELARIS together. The tagline is Haneul x Polaris too.

Q) You’ve said before that your goal is to be a safe space for your fans and that you want to make this space interesting through art. What types of art do you plan on sharing with fans? Singing, dancing, making clothes, etc.

A) Something that matters a lot to me is the sense of belonging, that I wish I could provide to those who desperately need it like I did, and still do. I want to get along and rely on each other with the people who kindly show me support, and build an uplifting community, the thing bringing us together being art. The more art forms the better! I personally enjoy singing, dancing, acting, producing, composing, writing, drawing, painting and sewing, and the list goes on. In the future I want to share music for sure, but also films, choreographies, books, clothes collections, tattoo designs, etc. I also look forward to seeing Polaris’ talents with excitement, and I’ve already had a peak of it through fan art.

Q) What do you think is a song lyric, if there is any, that defines you?

A) There are so many! I have a whole playlist just for this. People are so complex that only one line can hardly encapsulate a whole being! I, myself, would probably be something between Marina’s and Mitski’s lyrics… but the one that comes to mind right now is Aurora’s All is Soft Inside: “All that I know lies within emotion, words remain unspoken, lead me through the dark.”

Q) Have you ever had any language mix-up moments?

A) All the time! I mix up my French with my Korean, my Chinese with my German, my English with basically everything… I don’t think I can speak a single language properly to be honest, and I still want to learn more!

Q) Explain your most recent Google search.

A) The most recent search in my search history is actually a font for a CIELARIS design… I told you I was on it!

Q) What was your worst school picture day in your opinion?

A) I experienced quite the discrimination as a kid, so it was not unusual, but I remember the photographer calling out a racist slur to tell me to hide in the back. I still hate picture day now, lol.

Q) If you had 3 rules that everyone in the world had to follow, what would they be?

A) If the whole world has to follow them, probably something quite generic. 1. Be sensible, 2. Be kind, and 3. Be truthful. Would that make a better world?

Q) Are there any instruments besides the piano that you would like to learn how to play?

A) I used to be interested in many other instruments, and I tried out the violin, bass, guitar, ukelele, dizi, drums, kalimba and synth. If I had the chance, I would probably pursue one of these again.

Q) Share your most recent picture (that is not a selfie) with us, and give us a back story regarding the picture.

A) This is so funny that this is the last picture in my camera roll. I was memeing around while working on a t-shirt design for CIELARIS, and made this ironically. Not sure if this will make the cut though, haha.

Q) Lastly, is there anything you would like to say to readers/fans?

A) To Polaris, I love you more than you know, and I am forever thankful that you share your moments with me, that you support me in everything I undertake, forever thankful that you make me feel at home, that you are so real, funny and talented, and forever thankful that you make my dreams come true. You are safe with me and I won’t let you down. I love you 3000.