Stray Kids' Lee Know x Seungmin - 2KR (Uncut: 1 Hour)

I swore to myself that I would pay for your patreon the moment this analysis came out and HERE I AM. Thank you for this, I love Minho and Seungmin's dynamic. Please do more on them in the future!!!

I think because Seungmin has a kind of monotone voice he seems shy when people first see him, but I've always been really struck by how he says what he feels without being embarrassed about it. When Seungmin and Lee Know were paired for a friendship test with Vogue they were asked to describe each other and Lee Know said Seungmin was "prey" because he was joking around but Seungmin said Lee Know was someone he couldn't live without. It was just surprisingly sweet. The two kids+1 room with Lee Know, Seungmin, and IN was also really interesting too because the three of them have the same MBTI.

I'm glad you enjoyed watching the "gangwanz" AKA the "messy pair." Lee Know episodes of 2 kids room are always entertaining! He likes playing around more then he enjoys sharing his feelings on camera, but I still love his antics. I love the Changbin x Lee Know 2KR because they're just so funny together. I also love Felix x Lee Know 2KR because Lee Know's a little softer on Felix. Thank you for another great analysis!

JS

Hi please do more ateez

Court V

I think watching Yoongi and Jimin on Ddeun Ddeun would be a reallly interesting reaction video, you get to see a very different reserved side of Jimin and a more protective/older brother side of Yoongi

Emma Bolton

Love this response! You're right, I've definitely seen Seungmin feel a bit awkward too if his joke doesn't land with Leeknow. Though like you said, it's probably less often bc SM tends to take it better if someone doesn't get his brand of humor. I'm happy to see more stays voicing their appreciation for SM's humor these days, I'm sure that gives him more confidence too! Cool that we both noticed LK's different reactions to the two compliments SM gave! I see your point about SM's dance compliment actually going deeper than I originally was thinking. On the 1KR topic, I generally also don't like to rely on older videos. However, quietly taking care of others is SUCH a consistent part of LK's personality that I think it's probably still true. At least, it's consistent in his public-facing personality, but that goes back to the point about idols having their conversations on display. It must be so weird to have a huge chunk of their life recorded publicly from a young age. Surely they all have a persona to some degree, and I wouldn't be surprised if as they get older their private personality diverges from the public persona that was established at the age of like 16 But yes, overall, I suspect that in 2023 he still doesn't get much out of praise for his skills or concrete actions. However, I do agree with what you were saying that SM was actually praising him for something else entirely and he probably did feel touched by that one

em499

Can u react to the sturniolo triplets lie detector test videos please it answers a lot of good questions and some I think u would wanna know

Ashly_ 789

Hey Em. Really interesting comment, I appreciate it! I totally get your point about Minho being an “energy sponge’. I agree that he’s fully capable of making an effort in social settings with people he isn’t necessarily comfortable or familiar with, even if you can still sense awkwardness or distance sometimes, and I specifically agree about the fact that they don’t have the same sense of humor and that it seems sometimes he clams up when a joke doesn’t land. I find that the same thing happens the other way around actually, though maybe a bit less often. But anyways, really interesting observations, and I agree with you! About the compliments, I do want to add a little something. You reference his 1KR episode, and as insightful as it may be, it is relatively old (from 2019 if we’re talking about the same thing), which means things might have changed, especially since it hadn’t been long since their debut, in the grand scheme of things. So I don’t really use these older episodes as a basis when trying to figure the boys out now because I never know how accurate and relevant they are at this point. This is a side note but I think about this often actually, for all kpop idols, how strange it must be to have deep conversations or speeches immortalized online, and how newer fans get to ‘know’ them through these older videos, even though they may not feel the same anymore. But anyways, that’s kind of off topic ^^ I do hear you. However, I don’t think Seungmin simply complimented his dancing (which he does seem confident about). He said that Minho guides the members well ‘he puts his heart into teaching everyone’, and that he doesn’t worry when Lino teaches him “If I learn from you, I have no worries”. I think that’s a big compliment, and not just on Lino’s skills. It reminded me of when he told Changbin ‘I’m not afraid to do anything when you’re with me’. Now I’m not sure how confident Minho is as a dance leader (which does require more than just good technique). I’m also unsure if he knows how much Seungmin appreciates him and trusts him as a hyung as well. So I can see why you’d think that he appreciated the compliment about persistence more than this one, because he seemed more open when receiving it, but I have a different interpretation of what I think is the same observation ; he seemed more open to the compliment about being persistent because it was less meaningful and therefore easier to accept. The one that touched him the most had him put his wall up. I think that’s why he made a little joke, addressing ‘everyone’. I hope that makes sense, even if we have different interpretations! :)

Pauline

Interesting! I hadn’t heard the term mirroring before!

em499

I’m glad I’m not the only one who has noticed this “empath energy-sponge” aspect of Lee Know, which I also touched on in a comment. I tend to do it too, so it’s interesting to see it from a 3rd person perspective. I think the actual term is “mirroring”? Where a person’s behavior (and sometimes personality) changes based on the situation and who they are interacting with. I would say that it explains why he can get so hyperactive with Hyunjin and Han, but low-key with Seungmin, soft with Felix, defensive with Chan, engaging with Changbin, and teasing with IN.

Laura L.

Ok sorry for the long response but I'm interested in your perspective since I see you write a lot of good comments Pauline! I honestly agree with Max that compliments don't do a lot for LK, especially when it pertains to skills he is confident in or concrete actions he does. LK has said in his 1KR that he doesn't require verbal validation. Especially since dancing is his main role in the team, he's probably constantly aware that SKZ appreciate it and he feels good about that silently. As a counter-example, people frequently compliment Felix's vocals but he still gets shy and appreciates the verbal compliment every time. It seemed like LK actually perked up when SM complimented him about getting up early and doing hobbies. Maybe that compliment meant more because persistence is one of LK's personal values, not just an activity he's good at. Here's my interpretation of why he sometimes seems to "not care" about things SM says— I think LK is an "energy sponge" and his mood changes involuntarily when he's around others. Lots of people misunderstand empathy as a quality that makes you inherently mushy and lovey-dovey. But in my opinion, you have to choose what you do with it, and LK uses his empathy as a way to quietly match people's vibe and make them feel more comfortable. A clear example is how LK adapts to Felix's sensitive nature to avoid hurting his feelings. However, relying on sensing people's energy can make it difficult to engage in "socially acceptable" conversation. For me personally (and I suspect LK as well), the way I naturally want to communicate is through stream-of-consciousness thoughts. I see this in the way LK talks with Han and Changbin (and others too). When one of them speaks, LK tends to build off it with his own anecdote. He responds best when the conversation flows with a give-and-take of sharing stories and jokes. From a typical communication standpoint, asking open-ended questions allows the person you're talking with to respond most freely. But with someone who prefers stream-of-consciousness, a question actually gives them LESS to go off because they want an anecdote to pull details from. So when SM asks LK a question like "Which cat is the gentlest?" LK is just like "um... me lol." Also, when LK tells a joke to SM and it doesn't land, I think he can immediately sense the disconnect and clams up So yeah, I think LK appears blasé because he is mellowed out by SM's even-keeled energy. On top of that, SM is more practiced at verbal communication, so LK gets a bit confused by his words and actions. But they both enjoy their calm meals and walks together, even if they sometimes get frustrated I totally agree with you that LK's lack of fake response shows he's close to SM, because as we see with Felix it is clear that LK is capable of faking it if needed. He's also good at talking with strangers and small talk, so he obviously has learned that skill. (And trust me, when asking basic questions doesn't come naturally to you, small talk is a hard-earned skill lol). But with SM, he just doesn't mask his true reaction like that

em499

lollll i was wrong that there wouldnt be a lot to seriously analyze here. I loved your take on this. it was interesting how you pointed out that we were seeing an aspect of Seungmin's communication skills that we haven't seen in other 2kr episodes! Seungmin does often seem to be the "respondent," so it was cool to see him as the leader of this interaction. I hadn't thought of that before! i do think there were a lot of inside jokes in Seungmin and Leeknow's conversation, so there's a few things that you took too seriously because you didn't have background info. Like others have mentioned, leeknow quizzing seungmin on his cats and the divorced couple things were totally jokes (and callbacks for longtime fans to enjoy). I think both LK and SM are very professional as idols and aware of what the fans like, so they intentionally inserted those inside jokes to make a more entertaining episode for stay. That's not to say their interaction wasn't genuine, but they were playing to the camera for sure overall though, i think you were totally right that leeknow responds better to teasing and playfullness, and seungmin's brand of humor doesn't bring that out in him. Also agree that SM has an ability to gain deep insight into his friends' personalities. LK might be off-put by how much SM seems to know about him. I think probably a lot of the SKZ boys can see through LK's wall he puts up, but SM might be one of the few that doesn't wait for LK to come to him first and cuts through that wall up front

em499

Yeah you definitely mentioned that, I just figured it would be the best example to explain my point (which is that he does care, and potentially the more he cares the more… distant? he seems), because I think it might be relevant all throughout this conversation.

Pauline

That was certainly an interesting one! I think you might like Lee Know&Hyunjin episode. They have a very interesting dynamic and from what I can remember I believe you were keen on getting to know Hyunjin a bit more ~

Julianna

Thanks Karina!

Max Beaumont

Yeah, I think we're pretty much in agreement on that. I believe I mentioned at one point that I thought Lee Know not feigning his interest probably spoke to the comfort/closeness of their relationship. I know Lee Know isn't a big "reaction" guy, and him not emotively responding doesn't mean he's disinterested. I think I may have been off on that one compliment situation where I said Lee Know may've sensed insincerity. I think I may've even said after that he probably appreciated it (or at least I remember thinking that). haha. Anyway, appreciate the comment :)

Max Beaumont

Haha makes sense. A very proud cat dad.

Max Beaumont

This was a really interesting analysis to watch! I mean, I always enjoy your skills, but I find this one particularly good, because - maybe because of the lack of wild emotions - you had to go a little deeper, and yet you manage to stay kind and respectful. Damn you're good!

Ah, the problem is that you went into this with no context at all. I think you misunderstood a few things, specifically about Lino’s behavior and demeanor. Where you are right is that he isn’t soft with Seungmin, but if you interpret that to mean that he doesn’t care about what he is talking about, then I think you’re wrong. Same thing about the compliments. If you expect big reactions to deep statements or compliments, then you’re going to assume he doesn’t care about what you have to say, because you’re just not going to get that reaction. We’ve already established that he has a bit of a wall up, and that he isn’t really comfortable with lovey-dovey sentiments. I personally think it speaks to how comfortable he is with Seungmin that he was able to show his true reactions to his compliments for example. If he were uncomfortable or too polite, he would have faked a more socially acceptable response. So in my opinion, it’s not that he thought Seungmin was being sarcastic or insincere, it’s that it was a really meaningful compliment, one that I’m sure he appreciated, but it’s hard for him to show when he is moved by something, and he reacted spontaneously (which can look pretty cold or rude from the outside). Seungmin knows Leeknow and I’m sure he expected that reaction from him. In comparison, if you remember Lino’s episode with Felix, you can notice a couple things: Minho (and the members) said that he’s more gentle with Felix because Felix is soft hearted. So when Felix complimented him, he was thoughtful enough to make an effort (so as not to hurt his feelings) and to pay Felix a compliment in return, even if it wasn’t the same level of depth. Seungmin isn’t particularly sensitive in that way, and he and Minho are close enough that Minho didn’t feel the need to fake anything or to make an effort.

Pauline

I really like their relationship like they said many times, they are similar but different. I would love to see your reaction to Hyunjin and Chan 2KR, I love their dynamic

I’m only a few minutes in (the Soonie, Doongie, Dori conversation), but in their last 2KR Lee Know told Seungmin that he was surprised that Felix thought Lee Know had only two cats, not three. Seungmin: “You have three cats? I thought you only had one.” Lee Know: “😐😐😐😐 You thought I only had one?” Seungmin: “I guess I should care more.” Lee Know is very proud of his cats, and is constantly showing them off, so I’m sure Seungmin knew that would get a rise out of Lee Know 😅

Heather S.