Pepper Savings Bank Seo Chae-won × Choi Ga-eun A flower blooming in the middle of winter

December 2022 was a toxic cold winter for Pepper Savings Bank. Starting with the match against Korea Expressway Corporation on December 1, they lost 7 matches and fell into a 17-game losing streak in the season. However, Pepper Savings Bank’s middle blocker duo Chae-Won Seo and Ga-Eun Choi continued to grow steadily and showed potential even while losing. And finally, on the last day of December, they enjoyed the joy of their first victory of the season as their efforts so far splendidly blossomed. <The Spike> visited Seo Chae-won and Choi Ga-eun, the present and future of Pepper Savings Bank Central.

hello! This is the first meeting of both players with <The Spike>. First, let me ask you about your impressions.
Chaewon : At first, I was a bit puzzled that they were interviewing the two of us. I’m curious and looking forward to what you’re going to do!
Gaeun I also thought about what topics we would be interviewing. Because they are young middle blockers? Are you good looking? Because it’s the biggest hole in the team? Anyway, I prepared a little (laughs). “I felt more relieved or relieved

than the joy of my first victory
. ” It’s been a while, but let’s start with both players’ honest feelings about their victory. Gaeun : After we lost 17 games in a row, the players were exhausted both mentally and physically. After winning, the feeling of relief and relief was greater than joy. kailyard

The game didn’t go well that day, but the unnies helped me well and I was able to win. It was really thrilling and brought tears to my eyes when Gaeun unni’s last moving attack exploded!

Both players performed well. Ga-Eun Choi caught 5 blocks and launched a moving attack that confirmed the final victory.
In the game that day, we focused on shaking the opponent’s receive with the serve, and as this worked, the operation of the opponent’s setter became monotonous and blocking reading became easier. He focused on keeping wing strikers in check, and it worked. The moving attack was the first sign I exchanged with (Lee) Go-eun unnie, and the effective blocking went well in the defensive counterattack situation, so I pushed forward to go with the sign. Since it was the last time, I tried it boldly with the thought of hitting it hard, but it worked well.

Seo Chae-won succeeded in a difficult central open attack in the third set, 17-17, and brought the atmosphere to Pepper Savings Bank. It was a situation where he could have just handed it over, but with what mind did he attack?
Chaewon As I said, the game that day really didn’t work out. As a result, he couldn’t afford it, and he thought he had to attack and score points. (Lee) Goeun unnie and (Park) Kyunghyeon unnie were so good at connecting, I thought it was worth hitting, and I was also surprised when the score came out.

Up until now, I think the team goal of winning one win overshadowed the individual goals. Now that they have won their first match, what are the personal goals of the two players?
GaeunAt first, the goal was to reduce the number of crimes. But now that I think about it, I think this goal was a goal that required my boldness to be sacrificed. So I want to aim to increase the attack success rate.
Chaewon : I think blocking is a weakness. I want to further develop my ability to create effective blocking or blocking goals.

“ I think I got rid of a lot of things that were difficult through my first win. ” The two players joined Pepper Savings Bank in a slightly different way. Choi Ga-eun debuted at IBK Industrial Bank, but transferred to Pepper Savings Bank as a special nomination. How did you feel at the time? To be honest, Ga- Eun didn’t have enough playing time until the second year, and he wasn’t satisfied with my skills, so I came to him first with regret that he wasn’t on the IBK Industrial Bank’s list of protected players. However, after that, I think that being nominated means that I was chosen, and that I was given an opportunity, so I think I changed my mind to a positive idea of ​​doing everything I wanted to try. Seo Chae-won was nominated by Pepper Savings Bank in the 3rd place in the 1st round in the 2021-2022 rookie draft. How did he feel when he was chosen? Chaewon : I didn’t think I was in the first round. He was grateful to have been chosen. As much as he believed in me, I felt that I had to live up to expectations, and I felt a little pressure. Last season ended without being able to finish with Corona 19. Still, it must have been a valuable experience for the two players, looking back on last season. It was his first season as a starting pitcher , and it was a season in which he secured a lot of playing time. I learned a lot of things like how to play in the pros. On the one hand, it was my first time, so I felt a lot of pressure, and it was also a season where I couldn’t show much in the game as much as I trained. kailyard

It was a season where I didn’t show much compared to what I had. To be honest, it seems like a season where there weren’t many memorable moments personally.

Now we have our first win of the season, but we still have a lot more to do. How would you rate the season so far? Any other goals for the rest of the season?
As Gaeun looks back on her matches so far, she reflects on whether losing has become a habit. At the beginning of the season, the performance was good and the atmosphere was good, but as the rounds went on, the players were getting tired from losing streaks and it was difficult. Now that we have reached the turning point, we want to show our fans a more organized and united image.
In front of Chaewon , unnie said everything (laughs). I think I cleared a lot of things that were difficult through my first win. I will show you a better image with confidence.

“Right now, I just want to do what I can do
well in my position.”

Both players are playing the same middle blocker. It seems like we have no choice but to have a lot of conversations, but what kind of stories do we mainly talk about?
Chaewon and Gaeun unnie are my seniors, so I learn a lot. Encouraging me that I am doing well during the operation time whenever I am not doing well is also a source of strength. (Choi Ga-eun bursts out laughing) I’m not lying. Don’t laugh, sister!
Due to the nature of Gaeun ‘s position, there is not much time to run on the court at the same time. So we usually talk during operation time or when the set is over. From the outside, we share a lot of advice on blocking timing and leading. I’m also shorter than the veteran middle blockers on other teams, so I’m a bit cautious whenever I give advice. Still, I am grateful to Chaewon for trusting me and asking questions, and whenever Chaewon does well, I feel proud. It feels like I’m raising him (laughs)?

Due to the injuries of Ha Hye-jin and Yeom Eor-Hung, the two of them are digesting a lot of play time. It seems to be a burden, but on the other hand, it is also a valuable opportunity. How are you accepting it?
Gaeun : Honestly, it’s really hard because I don’t have enough time to rest and I don’t have enough time to train. But being able to compete is something I am very grateful for. If I make a mistake in a game, I like that I have time to correct myself without worrying about not being able to play in the next game.
kailyardRight now, I just want to be good at what I can do in my position. I want to grow further by making good use of the opportunities that have come to me. If I’m going to be greedy, I want to play as a starter next season as well.

Are there any middle blockers that you look up to as role models at home and abroad?
Gaeun I learned a lot from (Kim) Suji when I was playing for IBK Industrial Bank. The Susie unnie she saw from up close looked really cool. So she made Susie her older sister her role model.
Chaewon Korea Expressway Corporation Bae Yoo-na. I want to be like the part where I play leisurely and intelligently despite not being tall.

Among the players the two players have faced, I’m also curious about the memorable player.
Ga- Eun : ‘Playing on the same court as Kim Yeon-kyung’ was my wish. When I was at IBK Industrial Bank, I couldn’t play and I never played, but this season, an opportunity came. I really wanted to catch a block while trying to catch up, but even though I tried my best, I still haven’t been able to block it properly. If we meet again, I really want to catch a block (laughs). (Choi Ga-eun made her wish by catching Kim Yeon-kyung’s attack in the토토사이트 last 4th round of Heungkuk Life Insurance’s game.)
Chaewon Bae Yoo-na. I’ve played against the Korea Expressway Corporation with interlocking rotations, but it was really difficult to block because there were so many different attack options. While playing the game, I learned while thinking ‘I should do that too’.

Head coach Kim Hyeong-sil left and acting head coach Lee Kyung-soo is leading the team. Who is acting manager Lee Kyung-soo?
Acting director Gaeun is a very caring and delicate person. He delicately and slowly points out how to fix the parts that are not working well. He is a style that raises his self-esteem.
Acting coach Chaewon is so sweet (laughs)! Rather than saying, “You can’t do this,” I tend to tell them, “You can become better if you do this.”

When you play volleyball, there are definitely difficult moments. In particular, it seems that the two players must have had a difficult time as the team’s losing streak was long. What is the know-how to overcome difficult moments?
Chaewon ‘s caution is to solve the problem with exercise. Like doing night training harder. But when nothing really goes well, I just cry out loud and brush it off.
Gaeun writes in a diary whenever she is having a hard time. I try to throw away the difficult emotions of the day right away in my diary.

“Chaewon is a completely new child .
Gaeun is a hippo who drinks water.” Now, let’s talk about things outside of volleyball. First of all, I’m curious about the MBTI of the two people. Does it fit your description? Gaeun is an ENFJ. But these days, E feels a little less. Originally it was 99% E, now it’s like 60-70%. N and F are firm. It seems that J is also reduced a little.

Chaewon : I’m an INFP, but I think I’m gradually becoming an E. I guess my sister and I are influencing each other. She seems to be stressed out herself while her older sister gives me energy (laughs).

The two players are dorm roommates. What about roommates? I’ll give you time to mock (laughs). It’s not like I get a lot of sleep
. I usually sleep for about 5 hours, but Chaewon tries to sleep with the lights off at 9:30. I am a child in a completely new country (laughs). I can’t even tell you not to sleep. Sometimes when we talk until late, Chaewon’s eyes turn red. In that case, just give up and go to sleep.
Chaewon I don’t have anything uncomfortable, but I think unnie will suffer because of me (laughs). I am the question mark killer. Because I have so many questions. I also like to film things like TikTok, but even when unnie is by my side, I just film it. She thanks her sister for accepting me like this. But I won’t fix her (laughs).

Chaewon is the sister of Seo Chae-hyeon from Sunseon Girls’ High School. What do you usually talk about with Seo Chae-hyun? I wonder if he is a younger brother who listens well (laughs).
Chaewon went to the same school as Chaehyun until middle school and played on the same team. Back then, I didn’t listen well, so we fought a lot. Now that we’ve been apart for a long time, we’ve become more affectionate and proud of each other.

Gaeun is also a well-known Bana (boy group B1A4’s fan club). What would it be like if B1A4 found Pepper Stadium?
Gaeun was a really big fan. To the extent that I even went to fan signing events several times. The members will know me too. There was a time when I asked them to come and watch my game at a fan signing event. If you come to the stadium, I will win the game at all costs. (Chaewon, I will help you, sister!) Thank you (laughs). Anyway, this is my final goal as a fan. B1A4 coming to my match.

What do you usually do in your free time? I wonder if they even spend time together.
Chaewon : It feels good to see something clean. So I change my mood while doing laundry or cleaning. I like to make things with my
bare hands. These days, I like decorating top loaders and diaries.
When I’m with Chaewon , I like to sing. I sing with a Bluetooth microphone at the dorm (laughs). My favorite song is Girls’ Generation’s ‘Into the New World’! Gaeun unni sings really well. I just need to install the ad lib. It’s really over (laughs). If the fans want it, I’ll take a video later. wait for me.

Fans can’t wait! Let’s hear each other’s TMI revealed by the two players one by one.
Chaewon and Gaeun are hippos that drink water (laughs). If she fills a water bottle with water, she will eat it in no time. So I guess you have good skin.
Ga -eun and Chae-won don’t eat meat that has fallen into the water. Things like beef in beef seaweed soup. I take a long shower again. Sometimes when I go in the shower, they say that it will take a long time and just ask to wash together, but I don’t know how we can take a shower together when it’s so cramped (laughs).

The new year of 2023 has been bright. Do you two have a dream you want to achieve besides volleyball?
kailyardMy dream is to become a more mature person. I want to become a person who lives with a broader mind. And I want to be happy! I want to realize a minimal life that I have never had before in my life
. In the meantime, I spent a lot of useless money. Even when I was able to save money, it seemed like I was spending a lot of money on small things. I want to spend time emptying my body and mind while reducing such consumption.

Finally, we’re going to play a few balance games that fans will enjoy!
Chaewon Gaeun is our NF, so I really like this!

If you could spend 10 minutes with one of the seniors, what would it be? Lee Go -eun VS Lee Han-bi ,
Ga -eun and Go- eun’s older sister. The time I spent with Goeun unnie was shorter than that with Hanbi unnie, so I want to get closer while doing Yaja Time.
Chaewon Oh, I’m bewitched (laughs). I am also Goeun’s older sister. (What is the first thing you want to say when you say Yaja Time?) Ga-eun “Go
Eun -ah!” (laughs)
Chae -won Wow, I can’t do that? I just want to say “Let’s go eat something delicious with me”!

What if you had to do one of the two for a month? Sharing a room with Nia Reed without an interpreter VS Ga- eun eating alone with the director
Um…a meal with the director? Oh no, I want to share a room with Nia Reed. Will my English improve? (Chaewon: I want to eat with the director. How close I will be. I want to take a picture and get an autograph.) You can do that even now!

Which of the following siblings doesn’t listen to you more?
Seo Chae-hyun at home VS Min-
seo Lee at the dorm. (Ga-eun is unconditional. This is Balbung.) Min-seo is a child who cannot find an agreement when talking. His assertiveness is very strong. I really don’t listen (laughs).

Now it’s time to wrap up the interview. How was your day?
Gaeun was so much fun! There were many interesting questions. In the meantime, there were many stories I wanted to tell my fans, and it was nice to be able to do that. I enjoyed!
Chaewon : I was a little scared of the interview because I said the wrong thing, but today it was comfortable and fun because I felt like I was talking with my friends. I was happy to be able to tell a lot of the stories I wanted to tell!

Lastly, please say something to the fans who always support us!
Gaeun ‘s first victory was too late, so I’m thankful and sorry to the fans who supported me. In the future, we will provide more thrilling and enjoyable moments. Please support and love us a lot! happy new year!
kailyardAs the losing streak was long, it must have been difficult for the fans as well. I want to share more happy moments together in the future. I’ll show you how to grow more! Thank you for your interest and support. Happy New Year! Please make sure to include ‘Chang Chang’ (laughs).