Just as you care about someone else, you need to care about yourself too.
───Has your view of love changed between your past relationships and now?
Kazuyuki: For me, it feels like I'm just continuing the same path I took during the 15 years I was with my partner. So there haven't been any major changes, but I've started to feel much happier in the ordinary things of my daily life.
William: My past relationships were really intense (laughs). Compared to that, I'm much calmer now. In the past, I was swayed by my partner's feelings, and my own emotions were very unstable. Now, I sometimes wonder if it's okay that my emotions don't fluctuate so much, but I'm slowly realizing that this is the ideal situation.
Isaiah: I've changed too. There was a time when I used to hide myself and was content with not getting too close to others. But after meeting William at Green Room, I changed, and our relationship became one where we talk things out. Now, I think we have a sense of calm, comfort, security, and trust in each other, and I want to cherish that.
From left: Tomoaki, Taehon, William, Isaiah, and Kazuyuki 
Tomoaki: Before, I was all about passion. I would just go for it because I felt loved, and even if I felt like the other person didn't value me, I would think, "That's just how much I love them." But after spending time at Green Room, I learned that just as much as you value someone, you need to value yourself. That's why now I want to be with someone who values me.
Daehong: I understand what Tomoaki is saying. When I was younger, I would start dating and get so desperate to protect the relationship that I would sometimes lose sight of myself. But now, with more experience, I've become able to clearly draw the boundaries of what suits me and what doesn't. However, that doesn't mean that you should immediately break up just because you crossed that line; you should clearly communicate your needs and compare your compatibility. If you still aren't compatible, you can support each other and go your separate ways.
Living in Green Room was the catalyst for breaking out of my shell
──While living together, have you ever had an experience where you felt like your individuality was being disrupted in a good way?
Kazuyuki: I haven't had many people tease me before. But when everyone started teasing me, I was happy to see that I could be loved in this way.
Tomoaki: I play volleyball, and I'm in a fairly large community. I'm often the one who makes a lot of noise and livens things up. On the other hand, I'd never really built smaller communities, like going out to eat with a small group of people. At first, I tried to force myself to liven things up in Green Room, but that didn't last. When I was alone with two or three people, I didn't know how to interact with them. I realized I'd been too omnipresent in my interpersonal relationships. It made me realize how much I'd been living my life the way I wanted it to be. It made me realize how much I'd been living the easy life. But when I couldn't join in with everyone who happened to be wearing checked shirts and seemed to be having fun, and I ended up holed up in my room, I thought, "I can't keep going like this. I have to break out of my shell." I went to each person and apologized, telling them, "I felt lonely and couldn't fit in." From there, everyone supported me, and I was able to break out of my shell.
William Isaiah: I guess we were just ourselves from the start (laughs).
Taehong: I'm the type to chase when it comes to love, and avoid being chased. But in Green Room, I was forced to face it. This time, two people showed me affection, and while I was grateful, I couldn't help but feel scared. I wondered if they were seeing the real me? After watching Season 1, I wondered if they were only appreciating one part of me. But when I faced the people who showed me affection, I realized that before I knew it, I had fallen madly in love with them too. This was a new discovery for me.
──What do you feel is "rich" about living at Green Room?
William: The most fun part was getting together every night to talk and play games, and I wished it could continue forever. But because there was a deadline, it was fun but also lonely, and it felt even more precious.
Kazuyuki: It was a time when we were able to spend time together without really feeling the age difference at all.
Isaiah: The most enjoyable thing about Green Room was definitely the communication.
Tomoaki: That's right. We had some really heated conversations. We even talked for about seven hours straight, from when we were making lunch until we went to bed (laughs).
All: Ah, there it is!
Isaiah: It's the debate over whether you should ignore your ex-boyfriend or introduce him to him if you're walking with your partner (laughs).
William: That was a really great discussion!
Tomoaki: It was amazing that we could talk for hours about that one topic.
What we can do because we are a minority
──As social values change, what are some of the moments that make you feel proud or happy about being gay?
Tomoaki: I'm proud that the content "Boyfriend" even exists. Until now, gay people have tended to be lumped together with flashy characters like gay celebrities, or images of clean, pure love in the BL genre. But those who watched Season 1 already understood that we face people, worry, and fall in love just like everyone else, and I think they really got that. I'm glad that viewers have been able to relate to the show, and I'm proud that I was part of the catalyst for that.
Daehong: Rather than being "proud to be gay," I think that because I'm in a minority position, my experience as a person involved allows me to have compassion and consideration for other groups that aren't in the spotlight. Of course, gay people don't represent sexual minorities, and I'm not a representative gay person myself, so this may be a bit of an exaggeration, but I think there is a certain degree to which I can sense subtle emotions.
──The LGBT Awareness Promotion Act (※2) has been enacted in Japan, but as a person who is LGBT, what do you think is the next step that is really necessary in real life?
Daehong: In a word, I'd be happy if people understood me, but I think that more than anything, we need rights. Understanding varies from person to person, but rights are unshakable. That's why I think that only when we have a base of rights that are equivalent to those of straight people can we truly feel at ease.
--In a society in Japan where there is no legal framework for same-sex marriage, what is important to you in order to protect your partnership with your own hands?
Kazuyuki: Make sure to make time for each other. Because you're together all the time, there will inevitably be times when you want some alone time. Of course, this is something you both agree on, but in our case, for many years now we've been making sure to set aside time for each other on the weekends.
Isaiah: I try not to bottle up my emotions. I try to express my feelings, while of course avoiding words that might hurt the other person. By expressing my feelings, I try to actively discuss topics that can help our relationship grow and take us to the next step.
William: I'm the type of person who gets bogged down in worry when I think too deeply... But for now, I value the feeling of having a best friend who I can laugh with. Best friends and close friends maintain comfortable relationships for years, don't they? I want to be conscious of having a relationship where we can laugh together over trivial things. To achieve that, I think it's important to respect each other.
Taehong: As Isaiah said, I think you should say what you think. Of course, to do that, you also need to rethink how you communicate. The person communicating is not blaming the other person, and the person receiving the message doesn't need to feel blamed either. They should face each other sincerely and talk. If you keep things bottled up, you'll just end up feeling more and more frustrated.
Tomoaki: I think it's best to assume that the other person feels the same way as you do. In love, instead of thinking that you're the only one who's dissatisfied, I think the key to avoiding self-indulgence is to imagine that the other person might be thinking something about you.
There's always someone out there who will carry it with you
--If you could speak to yourself when you were struggling with sexuality, or to someone who is struggling with it right now, what would you say?
Kazuyuki: It may not be a problem with sexuality, but I think there are some people who are timid about love. For me, the past 15 years have passed before I even realized it. Sometimes, once you start something, a long time has passed before you know it. So I want to tell people that there's no need to be so nervous or timid. Even if I ever find myself struggling again, I'll remember my experience at Green Room, come to the same conclusion, and move forward for the next 30 years.
William: I grew up in a strict Christian household with a military father. When I realized my sexuality while I was still at home, I thought I had no choice but to keep it a secret. But now I live in Barcelona, a place that's much more open than Japan. I never imagined back then that I'd be in such an environment. In this city, it's normal for men to walk around holding hands, and no one reacts to it. The first time I visited on a trip, I was so moved that I cried in the street.
So I would like to tell my younger self, "It's okay, your suffering won't last forever. Someday the world will come where everyone will understand."
Isaiah: I want to tell people that there is always someone out there who is on their side. I couldn't tell my parents at first either, so when I was around 20 years old, I came out to my older sister, who is a close friend of mine. After that, I started telling my colleagues at work and broadening my circle. It took a lot of courage, but people were more receptive than I expected, and telling them gave me even more courage to move forward. That's why I want to tell them that there are always people who will understand.
Taehong: Korea still can't say that there is a high level of understanding towards the LGBTQIA+ community, but I've been fortunate enough to be able to be myself by living abroad since I was 18. This may sound irresponsible, but I would like to encourage those who are in that situation by saying, "The desires that everyone has are surprisingly valid, so just go for it!"
Tomoaki: I grew up in a small, rural community. Neighborhood gossip was rampant, and my family was generally anti-gay. Ever since I was little, I'd always thought I was crazy, and it was really tough. But as I grew older, I found a place in Shinjuku 2-chome where gay people could openly drink and have fun, and it made me realize that it was okay to laugh and have fun. Of course, there are people who can't physically come, and age is a factor, but we now have social media. If there's anyone out there who's carrying the burden alone, I want them to know that I'm on their side. There's always someone out there who will carry the burden with you, just like everyone at Green Room did for me.
6 Questions for the Boys!
Want to know more about the Boys? We asked them to answer six questions in person.
Tomoaki's 6 Answers 
Taehong's 6 answers 
William's 6 Answers 
Isaiah's 6 Answers 
Kazuyuki's 6 Answers
