violet flower

1990s

Before I started school, my mum would decide my full outfit for me like this or like that. It was before I started having my own style, so from my photos, on some days I would be dressed like a princess and on some days I would look like a big bully. It seems she dressed me in a variety of styles keke

Ah! I liked sky blue when I was young, but perhaps because my mum liked red, I have a lot of photos of myself dressed in red :)

This was me at my chubbiest during my childhood days before I started school. If I reenacted this scene before I turned 29, I might have more of my cheek fats left keke

Since I’ve lost a lot of my cheek fats now, it’s hard to copy this 😌

My mum just had to tie my hair tightly like this.

Whenever she did that, it felt like my eyes became larger 😌..

This was a time when I was stubborn and often went into a sullen mood.

2000s

This was during my early days when I started schooling. It might be difficult to believe, but I was one of the tallest in class then! When I started school, I was the tallest kid in the whole school!As you can see, this was during my birthday party. keke My mum is good at cooking, so I remember inviting my classmates over and blowing the candles. During that time, most kids would have their birthday parties at Lotter* or Pi*Hut, but I felt it was more fun to have one at home.

I was a really unruly girl at that time. It was perhaps the point in my life that I was the most ‘inssa’ (social butterfly).

I took part in every class presidential election, every school arts festival and talent show.

It was a time when I gradually started thinking about becoming a celebrity.

It was the only time that I naturally invited my classmates over as it was my birthday and I was the class president, but there was nothing (special) prepared so I remember holding a grudge against my parents and yelled in tears. keke

2010s

As I debuted early, I don’t have as many memories as others of middle school and high school. Although it might seem a bit regretful now, I think I was rather glad to be able to get out of a community life back then. keke (T/L note: As a trainee, IU was forced to become independent from a young age.)

It was a time when I tried hard to not be too conscious of whether I was having a difficult time or a good time.

Rather than having feelings about things, I was just busy fulfilling (tasks). I was always thinking about my work and planning ahead. So when I could take a break (when I had no work to do), I felt miserable instead.

I didn’t just have a tough time.

The moments I am the most excited both back then and now is when I’m planning for my work. Since it’s the moment that I can turn the things I imagined into reality. In the 2010s, every moment felt like it happened because of ‘IU’.

2020s

When I become a grandmother, if I were to choose a time to go back to, I think I would choose this period without hesitation. It’s the best period in my life.

I’ve always wanted time to go faster (T/L note: reference to You and I lyrics), but nowadays I wish things would happen a little slower.

Nowadays I’m living in a time period that I want to continue staying in.

Translated by IUteamstarcandy

Strangely… seeing you makes my heart feel a little more at ease. Why is that? My mother also… she had no choice. I think that there must be a reason why she had to abandon me. Still… you don’t have to forgive her. Because it doesn’t change the fact that she’s a bad mother. That’s why, instead I’ll forgive Soyoung. Woosung will never forgive me. ‘The reason I threw Woosung away is because I don’t want to make Woosung the murderer’s child.’ But still, the fact that I abandoned him is still the same.

All the interview translations collated

Q1-29: https://iu-jjang.tumblr.com/post/679708931196649472

Q30-37: https://iu-jjang.tumblr.com/post/680648208596205568

From the moment I gained popularity, there isn’t a moment that I haven’t thought about this. In some ways, I think I haven’t come to terms that I am a popular celebrity yet. Since it hasn’t hit me yet, I think it probably never will. Being loved is also just one piece of me (T/L note: one part of who I am) and I don’t think that’s entirely me either…

I’m not being humble. I sincerely do feel this way.

Because of that, I’m able to stay healthy and be free and also have a healthy relationship with my fans. Being able to last this long in my career, I thought it was how I objectively viewed myself and I would suddenly hear, ‘This was a hidden camera! Actually, IU being popular was a hidden camera!’ Like the Truman show… ‘So from tomorrow onwards, you will no longer be popular!’ I have imagined that sort of thing a lot.

I think about that a lot… During times like these, I would also always warn myself, ‘I have to leave something behind in my life.’

If I didn’t come into this world as myself, but came into this world as IU and left as IU, wouldn’t it be really sad?

IU is just one of the things that Lee Jieun did.

She is just one piece of Lee Jieun. I’m not someone who can be fully explained with only IU. Just because you call it self-love, is it self-love? I’ve always wondered about that.

I might feel really sad. (whisper) But then I think I wouldn’t feel that sad. (ahhahhahaha) I don’t think I would be so sad to that extent.

I would just be like, ‘Ah, I’ve been doing this for over 10 years, I had fun… I’ll have fun and take my leave~’ I think that’s the closest to how I truly feel.

Because it’s not like I was happy every single day. Living as IU.

There would be this much of a sense of freedom? And this much of sadness? I think there would be all of this coexisting.

Sadness would not be the dominant feeling and neither would a sense of relief be the dominant feeling.

I would be like, ‘Then what shall I do now?’

‘What shall I do with my spare time now?’ I think that’s what I would be concerned about.

Q31. What does being an adult mean to Lee Jieun?

(thinking carefully) I’m not sure. I recall answering this at some point in my life before, but from my current perspective, I’m not sure what being an adult means. Although it can be simply defined based on age and that once you are no longer a minor, you are considered to be an adult, but even though when I was young I vaguely imagined what an adult would be like, now that I have become one, I’m still unsure and I don’t know if I match up to that. Also, I wonder, ‘Is there such an adult around me?’ Of course, some people might find it too fake that I keep talking about age…

In terms of age, I’m all grown up, year by year as I mature, I find that I’m able to be more understanding and tolerant towards the world and people around me. I think I’m able to understand people in a more multi-dimensional way and sometimes, I discover an inner child in someone… ‘Ah, that person is still..!’ I don’t just mean it in a negative sense, but even as an adult, there could still be a child hidden inside the person, so would that part need to become an adult too for that person to be considered an adult?

But does such a person even exist in this world? Even in my grandmother, I discovered a child in her.

Could this just be a figment of our imagination? A fantasy? A fantasy that all the adults in this world have?

I wonder if it’s just a fantasy like, ‘At some point, I will be a much more adult-like adult than I am now!’ but if I were to just sum up my answer now, it would be to not behave in a more childish manner than those younger than me? (haha) That’s probably how I feel right now.

Q32. Is Lee Jieun considered an ‘adult’?

Yes, I would be, based on this criteria. In front of those younger than me, I try hard to pretend to be an adult, I’m that type of person and I hope to continue doing that.

Q33. The reason you want to become 30 soon

There was no ‘magic of 20-year-old’ when I became of age, but is there one at 30?

I’ll have the same expectation at the age of 40, but of course, I don’t have high hopes for it either.

Still, when I turn 30, I really won’t be (considered) young physically in age, so (although the wordings may sound harsh) I always have this sort of victim mentality towards this subject…

I debuted at such a young age that I think I used to have a tad bit of a victim mentality towards the fact that people often see me as a young (immature) person.

‘Yes I’m young, but I’m not handling or doing my stuff immaturely.’

‘If so, shouldn’t they treat me as a professional?’

‘I’m only physically young in age, but that doesn’t mean that I’m dealing with my career/ social life in a childish manner…’

‘Wouldn’t I finally be able to get closer to the age that matches my experience when I turn 30?’

‘I’m no longer in my 20s, so I bet no one will (continue to) see me as a young girl right?’

I have a bit of those expectations.

Q34. Tell us about your plan on your first day of being 30

None. I don’t have that sort of plan, it will probably be just~~~ the same. (laughs)

I bet I will really just be sleeping in, waking up and lolling around if I don’t have any work, then falling asleep (again) after having my dinner as per usual?

Q35. What kind of 30s do you want to spend?

Perhaps a 30s without much trouble? (LOL) I hope there won't be much trouble.

I hope whatever circumstances won’t drag or take me to somewhere (that I detest)

and that it will be a peaceful 30s for me. I hope it will be a solid 30s for me as an artist,

and no less, a diligent 30s for me as a diligent artist too.

Q36. Your thoughts on failure

I do have some thoughts on this. It makes me sound a little annoying (smiles gently) sharing this makes me sound a little annoying …

but I have never done things that I think I might fail at. Ahaha. I guess I make decisions that I have a plan for and some degree of confidence in. ‘Ah, I’m not so sure about this though? I’m not that confident though?’ For ‘me’ as a person, I’m always indecisive and feeling unsure, but as a producer I’ll just say it. If it’s something that people might not give attention to, I wouldn’t even release it in the first place.

Uhhurhurhurhur.

I think I have trusted my intuition so far.

Q37. Does ‘Pieces’ feel like (a baby) you carried inside you and gave birth to this time as well?

I’m not that noble, in fact… (laughs)

I think these songs might actually be the opposite of that concept?

(T/L note: IU always treats her albums like babies she kept to herself that are finally born into this world, but Pieces is a collection of unreleased songs over the years that didn’t make it into IU’s albums.)

Epilogue

As I was doing this interview and as we filmed this documentary over the past 2 months that can be considered short or long depending on your perspective…

Through this documentary, I really wanted to show every~~thing, I wanted to show who I am much more clearly, but I thought to myself, ‘Eventually, this will be a piece of me too.’

In a good way, a meaningful way.

It’s really difficult to define who I am by just putting all of me into one spot and saying, ‘This is me!!!’ and I thought that in future too, ‘That’s going to be tough.’

As I was preparing the ‘Pieces’ album and giving pieces of myself like hints about me, even though I have given my fans the bigger pieces so far, without these pieces, it (T/L note: the full picture) would not be complete, which I am trying to convey through my music and this documentary, so I thought, ‘In many ways, doing this really suits the meaning of ‘Pieces’’. That’s why I wanted to say that, even if it’s not today, someday…

All the interview translations collated

Q1-29: https://iu-jjang.tumblr.com/post/679708931196649472

Q30-37: https://iu-jjang.tumblr.com/post/680648208596205568

Translated by squishy_blob, ChoMin80, yule, jjanghimi, wellstrong_, jieunspoetry, 4seasonswithIU, and forenexiaoseo

Edited by IUteamstarcandy

It’s real this time 😌

Hello uaenas~~~!

It’s the cruelly beautiful April. How’s everyone doing? I’m doing well, of course!

I came back recently after completing my filming in Hungary. There were more uaenas at the airport than I expected, which I was glad for, but I regretted… not buying more snacks 🥲

Have our uaenas bought clothes for spring? Watched the Pieces (documentary)? Saw the april fools photos posted today? During this quiet period with no new content, is everyone going about their daily lives and staying healthy?!? I’m curious, so curious.

Actually, I’m busiest when uaenas are bored 🥲 There always seems to be a time lag for the new content to be posted keke

Anyway, I have lots of things planned in April, lots..! Lots in May too, lots!! But this year, compared to how busy I am, uaenas might be feeling kind of bored during this period. I’m worried, really worried.

Despite that, amidst the lag that exists between us, I’ll drop by From.IU like this occasionally, or post on Instagram to report that I’m still alive. Also, even though I can’t film videos for it very often, I won’t be lazy to make videos as YouTuber Lee Jieun! If there’s any content you want to see or ideas you have, feel free to share them with us 😌 I wanted to do something interesting for April Fool’s this year too..! My schedule was tight before leaving for Hungary though and it was so hectic that I couldn’t think of ideas..😞 I won’t let next year’s April Fool’s off lightly and let it pass uneventfully like that. 🔥

Anyway, uaenas I’m back. I’m also maintaining my condition and doing well!

You miss and worry a lot about me, right? I really miss and worry a lot about all of you too.

As we exchange our worries and yearning filled with affection, let’s trust each other as much as we can and think that ‘honestly, I bet she/they are going to manage well on her/their own’ 🙂🙂

Let’s welcome spring!

Have an evening as cute as April Fool’s Day.

I’ll be back 💜