[INTERVIEW] BAIN (JUSTB): “Your Existence Is Not a Debate”

[INTERVIEW] JUST B’s BAIN: “Your Existence Is Not a Debate”

According to the a global survey, around 3% of adults across 27 surveyed countries identify as gay. In South Korea, that number drops to just 1%. While small, that figure is not zero. Yet when it comes to LGBTQ+ representation in K-pop—an industry that often profits from skinship and same-sex shipping—the number of openly queer idols remains small enough to count on one’s fingertips.

Against that backdrop, BAIN stood onstage during JUSTB’s 2025 North American tour and shared something he had spent much of his life carrying in silence. In doing so, he became the first openly gay male idol in an active K-pop group, sparking one of the most significant conversations in K-pop that year.

The response was immediate. K-pop stans, JUSTB's fans, fellow artists, and allies from around the world rallied around the singer online, while his bandmates publicly stood beside him. Yet a year later, BAIN’s story is no longer simply about coming out; it is about what comes after one decides to come out in an industry that is notorious for shaping every aspect of an idol’s public and private life.

In this Pride Month 2026 interview with Pop Base, conducted shortly after JUSTB’s successful “SNOW ANGEL” North American tour, BAIN reflects on the emotional realities of the past year. He speaks candidly about learning that public support does not automatically heal private wounds, discovering what freedom looks like when it is no longer a theoretical idea, and navigating a changing landscape for LGBTQ+ visibility in Korean entertainment.

Along the way, he discusses the importance of community, his hopes for queer idols who may still be afraid to live openly, and why he believes no one should feel pressured to make themselves smaller in order to fit society’s definition of “normal.” He also opens up about songwriting, Pride, and, yes, his very real obsession with "Heated Rivalry".

Throughout our conversation, one thing remains clear: BAIN is not focused on being a symbol. Instead, he hopes to create space for people to exist honestly.

Congratulations on successfully concluding JUST B’s 2026 “SNOW ANGEL” North American tour! What was it like returning to the U.S. one year after the “JUST ODD” tour? Did stepping onto those stages again feel emotionally different after coming out during last year’s tour?

BAIN: Last year, I walked onto the stage carrying a secret, heavier than I ever wanted anyone to know. This year, I walked onto the stage carrying only myself.

When you spend so much of your life editing your own existence to make other people comfortable, you start to forget what your real voice sounds like. But on this tour I heard it clearly for the first time. Not the careful version. Just. me.

Last year, regarding your coming out, you said, “It’d be a lie to say I wasn’t afraid,” but you still wanted to share your authentic self with fans. At the time, did you realize how meaningful that moment would become for so many queer people both inside and outside of K-pop?

BAIN: At the time, no, I didn’t. I thought I was risking everything. I didn’t see myself as brave; I saw myself as terrified. But since then I’ve learnt that courage doesn’t always look powerful. Sometimes, it looks like shaking while telling the truth anyway.

And if my honesty gave someone else permission to stop hating themselves, then every difficult moment was worth it. Because I know how it feels to grow up wondering whether the world will still love you once it knows who you really are. That’s a very lonely feeling.

If I helped make that loneliness smaller for even one person, then I’m grateful.

You have said before that coming out felt like you could “breathe again.” One year later, what does freedom look like to you now?

BAIN: Freedom is realizing that your existence is not a debate.

For so long, I lived as though I had to explain myself perfectly in order to deserve respect, love, or safety. But human beings are not meant to audition for their humanity.

Now, freedom means waking up and understanding that I do not need to make myself smaller to fit inside someone else’s comfort. That’s something every queer person deserves to hear: you do not owe the world a smaller version of yourself simply because your truth makes other people uncomfortable.

Looking back, what part of the last year was the hardest emotionally for you that fans might not have seen?

BAIN: The hardest thing was accepting that being loved publicly does not automatically heal the parts of you that were hurt privately.

There were moments, even after receiving so much support, where I still felt grief. At first, I felt guilty about it. I kept thinking, Why am I still hurting when people are giving me so much love?

But healing doesn’t move at the speed of applause. Some wounds were created quietly over many years; through fear, through silence, and through feeling like your existence needed to be edited in order to be accepted. So the real emotional work was learning that I deserved love even in the moments where I still felt broken.

Did you ever worry that being openly yourself could affect your career in ways you could not fully control?

BAIN: Absolutely. But I also think there’s something more frightening than losing opportunities; losing yourself while trying to keep them [opportunities]. Success means very little if you have to abandon your soul to achieve it. I don’t want young people watching me to believe that survival requires self-erasure. I refuse to teach that lesson. If my career only works when I become smaller, quieter, or less honest, then that success was never truly mine to begin with.

I also think queer people spend too much of their lives being told to survive quietly. I didn’t want my life to become another example of that.

While you’ve spoken before about how supportive your company and especially JUSTB members — Geonu, Lim Jimin, Siwoo, DY, and Sangwoo — were after you came out, have you since experienced moments outside of that support system that reminded you there is still a long way to go for queer people in entertainment and society?

BAIN: Yes. After I came out, a Korean broadcast station requested an interview. We answered every question sincerely and filmed everything they asked for. But I never heard what became of it. As far as I know, it was never aired, and that has stayed with me.

I don’t believe I am entitled to every platform, but the experience made me think about something larger: sometimes society celebrates queer courage in theory, but becomes quieter when that courage asks for real space. This tension says a lot about where we still are. But I don’t say that with resentment, rather with hope, because recognizing the silence is often the first step toward changing it.

How different did the reaction feel between international audiences and Korean media or fans?

BAIN: The reactions were different, but I try not to see that difference as a measure of love. Different cultures move at different speeds, and different societies carry different histories. What mattered most to me was seeing people slowly start conversations they may have been too afraid to have before. Real change often begins quietly: with one person reconsidering what they believed about queer people because, suddenly, someone they care about becomes part of that story.

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While queer artists have always existed in the K-pop industry, more artists in recent years have begun speaking more openly about their identities, including XG’s Cocona opening up as trans-masc non-binary, former JWiiver member Ryujin coming out as trans, and XLOV debuting as a genderless group. Do you feel conversations around LGBTQ visibility in K-pop and Korean entertainment are beginning to change?

BAIN: Yes, and seeing this change heals something in me too. When I see more artists speaking openly now, I don’t just see headlines or conversations; I feel like I’m watching people breathe differently.

Queer artists have always existed. These stories were always here. But what was often missing was the freedom to exist visibly without fear or apology. I think younger generations are beginning to witness possibilities that many of us didn’t grow up believing were available to us. That moves me deeply because representation is not only political; it’s emotional. Sometimes seeing someone exist freely changes the way you imagine your own future.

To me, this feels less like a cultural moment and more like people allowing themselves to be seen with less fear. That matters beyond entertainment because we still live in a world where queer people are often expected to explain themselves, justify themselves, or soften who they are to be understood. That hasn’t disappeared. But I do think something is changing.

Maybe people are becoming tired of the idea that queer lives should only exist in whispers. And that’s why every honest voice matters to me.

Does seeing conservations surrounding queerness becoming more visible makes you hopeful for idols who may be queer but still feel afraid to express themselves openly?

BAIN: I felt that too when I saw XG’s Cocona, yes. Sometimes we talk about visibility like it’s politics or headlines, but for many queer people, it’s much more intimate. It can feel like witnessing someone breathe in a room where you were taught to stay quiet.

For so long, many of us learned to survive by becoming smaller, quieter, easier, less visible. So when someone stands in their truth, it creates something powerful: permission to imagine a life where love does not require hiding.

When I think about queer idols who may still be afraid, I don’t want to speak to them with expectations, but with tenderness. You do not owe the world your pain, your explanation, or your timing. But I hope you know there is nothing sacred about hiding who you are. One day, when you are ready, I hope you meet yourself with the same love you so easily give to everyone else.

What does Pride Month mean to you personally this year compared to before you came out publicly?

BAIN: Last year, during Pride Month, I went to the Seoul Queer Parade, and I am still carrying that feeling with me.

Before, Pride was something I respected deeply, yet part of me still experienced it from a distance. Sometimes it takes time to fully understand where your own heart belongs, but standing there changed something in me. Surrounded by so many different lives and stories, I felt something soften inside me; not because the world suddenly became easier, but because, for a moment, people were allowed to exist without explanation.

That’s when I realized the feeling of belonging. You don’t always know how much you need it until you feel it.

This year feels different. Pride no longer feels like something I’m watching from the outside; it feels personal, emotional. And maybe that is what Pride means to me now: the feeling that love and community can still find us exactly as we are.

As an artist, you’ve participated in songwriting and composition for JUSTB songs like “My Way” and “Coming Home.” Do you think you would ever want to create music that tells more of your personal story for ONLY B?

BAIN: I think music is not just something that exists to entertain us; it holds the parts of ourselves we struggle to say out loud.

And songwriting, for me, has always felt like opening a door—sometimes a small one, sometimes a frightening one, but a door nonetheless. So yes, I want to write more honestly as I continue growing. Even though I don’t suddenly have all the answers, I’m learning that vulnerability and artistry are not rivals.

Because of your courage last year, many people inside and outside of K-pop discovered JUSTB for the first time. Are there any JUSTB songs you would recommend that best represent the group and could turn our readers into an ONLY B?

BAIN: That’s always a difficult question because every JUSTB song carries a different side of us. But if someone is discovering us for the first time, I would honestly love for them to listen to the entire “SNOW ANGEL” album. It shows a side of JUSTB that feels bold, emotional, and very alive.

We are not a group built around perfection. We are a team built around growth, emotion, and standing beside one another. So if someone discovers us for the first time, I hope they stay long enough to feel that.

We all know you’re a huge "Heated Rivalry" fan. You’ve even shown Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie photocards in your wallet. What was it about that story that connected with you so deeply? And do you have any queer films or TV shows you think everyone should watch at least once in their life?

BAIN: Okay, first of all!!! Yes, the photocards are real. And I have absolutely no defense for that. My love for Heated Rivalry is very real too. Hudson and I are the same age, and Connor is only a year older than me. So, what does that mean? I’m not saying it’s fate… but I’m not not saying it either [laughing].

What connected with me with “Heated Rivalry” wasn’t only the romance, but everything around it: the longing, the tension, the secrecy, the way Shane (played by Hudson Williams) and Ilya (played by Connor Storrie) spend so much time fighting the world, and sometimes themselves, while still finding their way back to each other.

What stayed with me most was how human they felt. Just people trying to protect love while learning how to exist honestly inside it. Maybe that’s why queer stories matter so much; they remind us that love has never been one-size-fits-all, and neither are people.

As for recommendations, I loved “Heartstopper”. And recently, I was really moved by “LOVE IS LOVE,” featuring Amy Flamy and Nana Youngrong Kim.

Lastly, what message would you like to give to young queer readers, especially those who are afraid of coming out because of societal judgment?

BAIN: I think the first thing I want to say is this: you do not owe the world your truth before you are ready to hold it safely yourself.

There can be so much pressure around coming out, and sometimes people talk about it as if courage only looks one way. But I don’t believe that. I think survival is courage too. Protecting yourself is courage too. Taking your time is courage too.

So if you are afraid, I understand that feeling, truly. And I hope you know that your worth does not begin the day other people understand you. You were never waiting to become worthy of love, dignity, or belonging. Those things already belong to you.

And whenever your life allows it, whether loudly or quietly, I hope you find ways to exist with honesty and gentleness toward yourself. Because the world may ask us many questions, but our existence should never be one of them.

Happy Pride Month! Listen to JUSTB’s discography on YouTube Music, Spotify, and Apple Music.

— Javeria Yousuf

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