Hallelujiah: A Guide to Suho Part 1
WELCOME TO ~HEAVEN~ AKA THE SUHO PIMP POST
To those subscribing to Christianity, it is also Good Friday.
Coincidence? We think not. Suhoses has come early for our deliverance.
“I’m EXO-K’s leader, Suho!”
Stage Name: Suho (수호)
Birth Name: Kim Joonmyun / Junmyeon (김준면, 金俊勉)
Nicknames: Sunnouncer (Suho + Announcer), Esuhort (Suho + Escort), Junmen (Junmyeon + Amen), Myeonchael (Junmyeon + Michael), Junmo Maria (Junmyeon + Virgin Mary is Sungmo Maria in Korean), Just Rich, Jun Ma Hao (from Tao), Gramps, Godly, Plain Oatmeal Oppa, Suhoses (Suho + Moses)
Birth Date: 22 May 1991
Height: 173 cm
Blood Type: AB
Position: Leader (EXO-K), Lead Vocalist, Guardian Angel
Hobbies: Golfing, Cycling, Acting
Motto: “Know yourself”
Likes: Sushi, Girls with long hair that read books
Nationality: Korean
Hometown: Seoul, South Korea
Family Relations: Father, Mother, Older Brother
Favorite Colors: Violet and Gold
Year Discovered: 2006 (SM Casting System)
Trainee Period: 7 years
Role Model: DBSK, Super Junior
Horoscope: Gemini
Zodiac Sign: Goat
EXO power: Water
“Do you know who I am? I am Kim Junmyeon.”
Kim Junmyeon grew up a normal kid. Virtually nothing is known about his early childhood except that he was: a) a model student; b) 엄친아 (mom’s friend’s perfect son) and c) his family was relatively well-off. By all accounts, Kim Junmyeon was a typical South Korean kid. He liked to go online and post selcas. He was also a bit of a flirt. He got good grades, and attended cram school like everybody else. He was also a member of the Student Council (foreshadowing his future leader position). Sometimes, he couldn’t even help posturing about himself.
He supposedly grew up affluently (we have an authentic born-and-bred Gangnam Boy right here), and it certainly showed in his choice of sport (golf) and travel (overseas), but by all accounts, he didn’t let the wealth go to his head. If anything else, Junmyeon was known in his neighborhood as that really nice, good-looking kid (even if he was admittedly a bit on the short side).
Sounds fairly normal, right? Junmyeon, though, is far (FAR) from typical (despite all evidence to the contrary).
If Junmyeon was typical, he probably would have safely followed in his dad’s and brother’s footsteps. His father is a professor at Soonchunhyang University. His older brother, four years his senior, is an alumnus of Sogang University. Junmyeon himself, by all respects, was similarly inclined. He got good grades in high school, and his smarts got him through Korea University of the Arts’ (K-Arts) renowned rigorous acceptance process and into its highly-regarded Acting Department.
Well, perhaps his choice of major should have been a major hint that Kim Junmyeon is not your typical goody-two-shoes. Don’t get it wrong--deep inside, Junmyeon is an honest to goodness nice boy. He just likes to rebel a little now and then, especially against his brother (but always with the permission of his parents, of course). Junmyeon could have just safely enshrined himself within his family’s cocoon, but he didn’t. He wanted to sing, so he did everything he could to become a singer. That’s conviction.
He auditioned and trained, getting into SM Entertainment in 2006. Most people train for a few years, and if they’re lucky, they debut. More often, people quit after a few years. But not Junmyeon, never Junmyeon. He stayed with SM, forming dozens of friendships along the way. (Junmyeon is the ultimate SM bicycle, as evidenced by his frequent appearance in various SM artists’ “Thanks To” lists in their albums.) Sure, he got to appear in bits and parts for a few of his sunbae’s videos and even movie, but there was nothing really memorable or assuring a debut. Most would have given up hope and quit, but Junmyeon stayed and trained. He trained for seven years before he finally got the chance to debut. That’s dedication.
“I’m of the style to work hard, even for small things.”
This is where our little Junmyeon became Suho, EXO’s guardian. He was officially introduced on 14 February 2012 as a Valentine’s Day gift to the world, in the 16th teaser, reading books on a random table and making eyes with Kyungsoo in the middle of a barren wasteland. Sadly, it was his only teaser appearance (apart from his short appearances in 8 and 23), but it left fans curious about this handsome boy who had a passing resemblance to Super Junior’s Siwon (take away a couple or more centimeters).
Before EXO debuted with MAMA, they also had two prologue singles, the first being What is Love, released on 29 January 2012. Although Suho didn’t sing in the track, he was present in the music video doing pretty much the same thing in his teaser, continuing making eyes with Kyungsoo in that same barren wasteland. Thankfully, SM followed up with a release of EXO’s History on 9 March 2012, where he showed us all that not only was he really handsome, he could also sing and dance (although his mastery of these two differ vastly).
Still, little was known about him, other than that he was a long-time trainee and was the rumored leader of EXO-K.
“People who try will succeed.”
Showcases
During EXO’s Korean Showcase, Suho was formally introduced to everyone as EXO-K’s leader. There, he also explained just why Junmyeon chose to be Suho (even though he will forever be Gramps to some). His reasoning was totally in keeping with his real-life persona of being such a serious and kind boy at heart. That showcase, however, showed fans a different, more playful side of Suho--from him admitting to having a crush on Lu Han, to outing Tao as the aegyo monster that he is.
Despite being obviously nervous and only getting a photo slideshow (SM hdu waste all that talent), Suho also looked exceptionally good during the showcase. Finally, he was on stage after training for so long. He was so choked up on emotion that he almost cried, but he held it together, just like the leader that he is.
The next day, during the Beijing Showcase, Suho continued his grand tradition of lengthy intros (we love you Gramps!) and being exceptionally photogenic. Really, he was. God bless that smile. The Beijing Showcase also introduced us to Suho’s never-ending love for Kai (even if he gets rejected, it’s okay Gramps, Chen wubs you).
All in all, these showcases just showed us a glimpse of our multi-faceted Suho. You see, Suho is a guy made up of many layers, and peeling those layers back is the only way to see just how great a guy our Suhoses is. Not many have the patience to do it, but trust us, it is such a shame to look at Suho and immediately dismiss him for being too vanilla.
Yes, Suho is the epitome of nice-guy-company-trained vanilla, but you won’t find any vanilla that’s as soft, as creamy, and as smooth as Junmen. And he might just surprise you with a hidden underbelly of an unexpected burst of flavor. You’ll never look at vanilla the same way again.
MAMA
The release of MAMA’s music video introduced the EXO boys as extraterrestrial beings with superpowers. If you didn’t get confused with his ever-changing hairstyles (that’s all one person), or distracted by his sexy lip-swipes, the video also showed that Suho has the power to manipulate water (represented by a snazzy symbol of a raindrop). A power which was hinted earlier in Chanyeol’s teaser. He displays his hydrokinetic skills by waterbending in front of...a mirror. This served as inspiration for so many things, from fiction to art, and even actual advertisements. Here he is at home with his element.
Ready for more Suho? Proceed to part 2. part 3. part 4. part 5.