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EXO’s Kai Never Wanted To Be An Idol??? Kpop Star Makes Surprising Revelation In New 2017 Interview, Talks Coping With Ankle Injury

By Patricia Grannum
Published on: 06:41 PST, Jan 7, 2017

EXO’s Kai’s Kpop idol career may have never happened. In fact, one decision made the difference between him becoming a very successful member of the Hallyu boy band and his life going down a very different path.

As Koreaboo reported, in an interview with Sports Seoul, Kai admitted that he wanted to study ballet at a famous arts school, but after some encouragement from his father, decided to audition for S.M. Entertainment instead. The rest, as they say, is history.

It doesn’t seem like Kai regrets the decision though. As Soompi reported, elsewhere in the interview, Kai talks about the joy he gets when he performs onstage and why hurting his ankle made him so depressed.

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According to Soompi, in 2016 Kai hurt his ankle while practicing for a concert appearance and then re-injured it at a concert in July. On July 24 at another EXO concert, he appeared on stage in a wheelchair and explained what had happened to him to the crowd.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00brVVgKNNo

As Soompi noted, in his recent interview with Sports Seoul, Kai lists injuring and re-injuring his ankle as one of his biggest regrets of 2016, as it took him away from what he loves, dancing on stage.

“Personally, [2016] is a year that still holds many regrets for me. I ended up appearing in a wheelchair in front of fans after severely injuring my ankle,” he said. “I had to go through physical therapy and couldn’t properly dance, something I love to do. In addition, I was extremely stressed that I might injure myself again.”

Kai further explained that he found it difficult to get over his depression because dance is normally the way he finds joy. Without that he was in an absolute funk.

“It hasn’t been long since I’ve overcame [the slump],” he added. “Normally, I’m the type…who experiences happiness through dance, and am someone who finds joy when I’m standing onstage. But I ended up not being able to do what I wanted to when I injured myself.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8-p1jBPBY8

Kai added that although his ankle is much better than it was when he first injured it, he still has a way to go before it’s at 100 percent of its strength.

So, he’s been practicing more than ever to get back in tip top shape.

“On days I don’t have schedules…I practice dancing for five hours, go to acting class for around two or three hours, and then also go to vocal training for three hours,” he said. “By the time I finish, it’s around 2 a.m.”

You read that right– five hour dance practices! Hopefully he doesn’t overdo it and re-injure his ankle all over again.

Looks like Kai and the other EXO members won’t have much time to rest in the next couple of weeks. Their schedule is packed. As Koreaboo noted, they will be performing at The Seoul Music Awards on January 15, which also happens to be Kai’s birthday.

[Featured Image by Christopher Jue/Getty Images]

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