▲ Zico poses for a photo at the media conference event for SBS Plus and MBN's new variety show "The Tough Guys' Way of Traveling in Taiwan," held on Oct. 6, 2026. Photo provided by the broadcasters. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE)(Yonhap)

 

SEOUL, Oct. 6 (Yonhap) -- Rapper Zico says he let go of his usual image and showed a more unguarded side of himself while filming a new travel variety show with veteran entertainers Choo Sung-hoon and Kim Jong-kook.

 

Zico made the remarks during an online press conference Tuesday for SBS Plus and MBN's new variety show "The Tough Guys' Way of Traveling in Taiwan."

 

"I usually don't even leave my blanket when I travel and only go out after my friends urge me to," Zico said. "But this trip got me out from under the blanket."

 

"Normally, I try to dress up and look cool somehow, but this time I completely let go of that," he said. "The 'old-man energy' I usually suppress kept coming out during this trip."

 

"When I pack my things, I usually talk to myself, but I found myself humming a song with musical notes, imitating Jong-kook hyung without even realizing it," he recalled.

 

"I broke through the shell around me and came out during this trip. The senior guys really stripped me bare. In the end, I let go of everything," he said.

 

▲ Zico (C) and the main panel for SBS Plus and MBN's new variety show "The Tough Guys' Way of Traveling in Taiwan" are seen in this photo provided by the broadcasters. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE)(Yonhap)

 

Zico, who is taking part in a travel variety show for the first time in about three years since "School Trip Without Math" in 2023, said he immediately had a good feeling about the project.

 

"At the preliminary meeting, I got a good feeling immediately without giving it even a second's thought," he said. "Rather than being just a simple travel variety show, the filming captures the members' true selves without embellishment, so I felt that our styles matched well."

 

He also spoke highly of his chemistry with Choo and Kim.

 

"Even when the cameras were off, Choo Sung-hoon was Choo Sung-hoon and Kim Jong-kook was Kim Jong-kook," Zico said.

 

"For me, the greatest hospitality is not excessive fussing but being comfortably left alone," he said. "After the day's schedule ended, they thoroughly respected my privacy, so I was never uncomfortable."

 

Zico also teased an unexpected side of himself that differs from his usual image as a producer who pursues perfection.

 

"There were so many things that didn't go as planned that I wondered if I could really be this clumsy," he said. "The fact that I worked hard but ended up with strange results will be one of the things to watch."

 

Premiering Tuesday, "The Tough Guys' Way of Traveling in Taiwan" follows Choo Sung-hoon and Kim Jong-kook on a trip to Taiwan with Zico.

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