Source: GQ Korea | Translation: OurDaniel
Comfort and applause to idols who are trying to escape from depression.
“I felt like if the racehorse came to a halt, I would have to leave the arena.” This is what Chungha said on Mnet’s Running Girls. She constantly sharpens herself, digests her endless schedule, and fears that if she doesn’t work hard, she will collapse in that moment. With this fear, Chungha returned with her first full-length album titled Querencia on February 15. And a day later on the 16th, Kang Daniel made a comeback. He spoke on an entertainment program that aired right after the single “PARANOIA” was released, “The year before last, I had panic disorder and depression at the same time, so I was not motivated to live. It was as if I was just trying not to die.”
Chungha and Kang Daniel made their debuts as the final members of Mnet’s Produce 101 Season 1 and Produce 101 Season 2, respectively. And the two people have something else in common. It was through the dance competition held in this program, that both had begun to gain attention in earnest. In particular, Chungha was praised as an outstanding performer for her participation in making the choreography for “BANG BANG”, and Kang Daniel was portrayed as the male idol character specializing in choreography, who emphasized his sex appeal by creating his own signature choreography with his thigh sweep in “Open Up”. As such, Chungha and Kang Daniel were the ones who knew their strengths better than anyone else, and at least in this audition program, they established their positions more sincerely and smartly than anyone else. In subsequent individual activities, they both succeeded in imprinting themselves on the public with good results.
But now, Chungha and Kang Daniel have started their new activities to catch their breath for a while. It might be ironic in the eyes of others. Still receiving reviews for their “fatal” charm, the two show off their colorful appearance in their music videos, and leave a strong impression with overflowing energy in their dance breaks even though they stare at the camera in a somewhat heavy manner. However, Chungha’s Querencia actually means shelter and resting place. While Kang Daniel’s “PARANOIA” literally means having paranoia. When Chungha released “X” as a pre-release song, she sang the lyrics, “No flowers on the path I’ve taken,” and “This place didn’t make me / There was no flower garden on the road.” Kang Daniel wrote the lyrics of his song to describe his own gloomy period and danced while singing, “It’s getting scary in my lightless room / It’s becoming routine, one by one.”
They had an exhausting and hard time (and instead of hiding it) they put the ‘rest’ and ‘dark shadow’ on the forefront. (T/N: The word ‘rest’ seems to refer to Chungha, and ‘dark shadow’ to Daniel. Thanks @kangdaniel_com for helping me with this one). Just as Chungha sheds her painful time with numerous worries, she actively shows herself the way she wants to through a rough performance on stage. So does Kang Daniel. Rather than controlling his strength, he shows his move to get out of a stifling place with his desire to throw all the pain out. We can never realize the pain of others, but at least we can see that the gestures of these two artists face a certain moment of resolution. And someone else may confront their own suffering through the appearances of Chungha and Kang Daniel. Fortunately, the two are not trapped in depression and are showing the moment they got out. People who teach us how to face the shadows in times of difficulty in resolving them, Chungha and Kang Daniel, are not just famous singers but are like friends walking along the thorny paths together with us.