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As the eldest members of ATEEZ, Seonghwa and Hongjoong share a unique bond that is only strengthened by the fact that the two share a room in the K-pop idol group's dorm. Often stuck trying to keep the more rambunctious younger members (99z) in check, the two band together in solidarity.
The duo call themselves Matz, short for Madhyungs or the eldest. Hongjoong and Seonghwa have different thought processes when it comes to music, practice, and dance. However, the differences in opinion only serve to make their friendship stronger.
The ATEEZ hyungs are affectionately called the "parents" of the group because they have to control the chaotic group's enthusiasm during variety shows and music video shoots.
5 times ATEEZ's Hongjoong and Seonghwa were friendship goals
Besides having to take charge of the group as the eldest members, Seonghwa and Hongjoong enjoy a friendship where they can rely on each other but also mercilessly tease each other at the same time. Here are 5 instances of ATEEZ's Hongjoong and Seonghwa emerging as true platonic soulmates.
1) The Matz complimenting each other on Vlive in 2019
Hongjoong and Seonghwa are roommates even when they travel so fans often get to witness them hanging out in their hotel rooms during livestreams. In this particular VLive, the eldest members talked about their experience at KCON, their love for tiramisu, and showered each other with compliments.
Seonghwa spoke about how very few people can pull off Hongjoong's eyebrow slit, while Hongjoong lauded Seonghwa's rapping skills. Additionally, the two randomly started talking about how cute babies are, with Hongjoong switching on a cute filter saying that he would make Seonghwa look like a baby.
All in all, the livestream was equal parts messy and comforting as Seonghwa and Hongjoong demonstrated their compatibility with each other.
2) Hongjoong being jealous of Seonghwa's friends on Weekly Idol in 2021
The hosts of Weekly Idol asked Seonghwa if he had any friends of the same age other than Hongjoong. Seonghwa replied that he had exchanged numbers with The Boyz's Juyeon and Stray Kids' Lee Know and contacted them frequently.
Hongjoong seemed to lose his composure upon finding out that Seonghwa used casual speech with his other friends, a sign of familiarity in Korean. The ATEEZ Matz eventually held hands and voiced their issues to each other, ending the segment on a sweet note.
3) Seonghwa and Hongjoong's ASMR during their Tingle Interview
Although the video was full of fun anecdotes and inside stories, the best part of the interview came towards the end when Seonghwa and Hongjoong were being interviewed together. They started by doing their iconic Matz introduction, and then answered questions related to each other.
Hongjoong had to guess Seonghwa's waist size and his guess was off by 20 cm. Meanwhile, Seonghwa was to balance a cotton swab on Hongjoong's "su~~per long eyelashes" and he eventually succeeded.Their enthusiasm to compliment each other while playing mini-games just proved that the two are true soulmate friends.
4) When Hongjoong washed Seonghwa's feet in ATEEZ Treasure Film
As one of the tasks in the show, the Deja Vu group had to wash each other's feet. Leader Hongjoong announced the foot-washing teams, placing Hongjoong and Seonghwa together. The task was meant to foster a deeper bond between the members, and while it succeeded in doing so, it was not without suppressed giggles.
Hongjoong ended up asking if washing between the toes was necessary, and Seonghwa, who was already on the verge of tears from controlling his laughter, let out a chuckle.
After the somewhat embarrassing exercise was over, Seonghwa commented that washing Hongjoong's feet made him realize the amount of stress the latter had to undergo as the leader, songwriter and producer. Indeed, friends who wash each other's feet stay together.
5) The Lie Detector Test where Hongjoong defended the Matz friendship
ATEEZ did a set of interviews for TongTongCulture, and the eldest members ended up together again. The members asked each other questions while a lie detector gauged their honesty and gave the wearer a mini-shock if they lied.
Seonghwa and Hongjoong were asked if it was true that the Matz members were awkward around each other. Seonghwa responded in affirmative, while Hongjoong vehemently refused and said that they were close. The lie detector disagreed with Hongjoong's assessment, but he withstood the pain, arguing that he considered Seonghwa his best friend.
Seonghwa also said that though they might be awkward around each other at times but he considers Hongjoong to be one of his closest friends.
The eldest members may be tasked with a lot of responsibility, but ATEEZ's hyungs prove that if they stick together, they can share the burden well. The HALA HALA group is all set to perform at the Chicago leg of KCON 2022 in August, along with oother well-established and rookie groups.
The group will also make a comeback in July, and has released a teaser in the most innovative way possible. The group dropped posters with a QR code that leads to an audio file. Fans will eagerly await the release of their new album, titled The World Ep.1: Movement.
