'If we fought and disbanded, we'd never see each other again forever': Why Super Junior's Ryeo-wook resolved big fight with bandmate in a day

A two-decade friendship with anyone is bound to have its ups and downs, and members of Super Junior are no different.

The new docu-series Super Junior: The Last Man Standing shows the history of the K-pop giants who made their debut back in 2005, while giving viewers insights into their interpersonal relationships.

In a regional press conference that AsiaOne attended yesterday (Feb 1) hosted by band leader Leeteuk, he and band member Ryeo-wook discussed how the group get over "brawls or conflicts" between them.

Ryeo-wook, 35, joked that he just cries over them before revealing: "I'm not someone who gets into many fights, but everyone knows how I fought with (bandmate) Si-won."

Leeteuk, 39, agreed that, though Ryeo-wook rarely gets into arguments, the fights he does have are "big ones".

Back in 2015, Super Junior revealed in the MBC talk show Radio Star how Ryeo-wook and Si-won fought over a bizarre reason: Si-won gave too many high fives.

Nevertheless, the fight was so intense that member Yesung was worried Ryeo-wook wouldn't even make it out alive.

At the time, Si-won asked Ryeo-wook: "Would you be confident with never seeing me again?" to which Ryeo-wook apparently responded: "I'm confident!"

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IAEYvF6joU[/embed]

However, Ryeo-wook revealed a very different side to the fight yesterday.

"This might sound lame, but we've been together for so long that we naturally patched up," he said, adding that the fight was resolved within a day.

"If we fought and disbanded, we'd never see each other again forever."

He also shared behind-the-scenes details that the docu-series missed and how it could be improved if there were more episodes.

"This wasn't part of the documentary but [to get over conflicts] we would go on trips, not business trips, but just by ourselves to have fun," Ryeo-wook said, before admitting: "If that was included in the documentary, it might have been even better.

"If you could see our daily lives in the documentary, you could see how we overcome crises."

Leeteuk suggested: "For our next documentary — if there is going to be one — you should provide the staff with footage from the camera that you always bring around."

Ryeo-wook added that if there were "episodes three and four" of the two-part docu-series, maybe showing the band members in their daily lives, with friends outside the band, could make fans relate to them better.

Leeteuk joked: "I don't have any," to which Ryeo-wook responded: "You should make some."

Other than taking trips together, the members of Super Junior also appreciate grand gestures to maintain their friendships.

Ryeo-wook said: "When a member has a solo concert or fan event, I want to go and congratulate them, and I think the congratulations has to be done in a showy way, so the fans know I'm there and the member knows that I'm there."

"Yeah, exactly. If I give Ryeo-wook a cookie every day, for example, then nobody knows I'm doing something good or nice for him," Leeteuk added. "But if there's a big dinner that I've paid for, then everyone would know."

'Only' not  'best'

If Leeteuk could sum up Super Junior's career with one English word, he would pick "only".

"I would say 'only' instead of the word 'best,' because that shows that there are things we have done that could just be done by Super Junior," he said.

Leeteuk described how Super Junior was one of the first idol groups to have so many members — 12 at the time of their debut — but that people remember each of them was a testament to their "full package" and charms.

"30 to 50 years later, we might not even be alive but people might still remember Super Junior. So what kind of idol group do you want us to be remembered as?" Leeteuk asked Ryeo-wook.

Ryeo-wook pondered on the question before responding: "You know how times change, but if people say, 'If they were to debut now I think I would still love them,' that would make me really happy."

Leeteuk added: "I really like to use my free time to go on idols' fan sites and search about Super Junior, and I saw fans of other groups talking about how Super Junior is the only group that has been around for so long, but they still stay competitive.

"I want to work hard so we can continue being that competitive."

To that end, Ryeo-wook considers Super Junior: The Last Man Standing as a docu-series that even fans of other idol groups can enjoy.

"This documentary is not only about the history of Super Junior as a group, but also the history of K-pop and the Korean pop market, and how Super Junior has fared through it and what we can do moving forward.

"So if you're interested in K-pop or fans of other groups, I think you will very much enjoy this documentary."

Super Junior: The Last Man Standing is available to stream on Disney+.

ALSO READ: Super Junior Singapore concert: Kyuhyun tells fans 'We super long never meet liao', but Leeteuk misses pepper crab more than us

drimac@asiaone.com

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