Monday Kiz's Lee Jin-sung and former SeeYa member Nam Gyu-ri recalled the days they spent with the late Kim Min-su. In particular, Lee Jin-sung honestly brought up how he collapsed for a while after seeing Kim Min-su off, giving a poignant feeling.
On the 10th, a video titled "Lee Jin-sung and Nam Gyu-ri meeting for the first time in 20 years" was released on the "Jinjja Lee Jin-sung" channel. The two, who were classmates in practical music, met after a long time and revisited memories from about 20 years ago one by one.
Lee Jin-sung, who is now the father of three, said his old memories are "sporadic," and during the conversation the topic naturally turned to the late Kim Min-su, who had worked with him in Monday Kiz. Nam Gyu-ri told Lee Jin-sung, "You introduced Min-su to me." When Lee Jin-sung finally recalled, he said, "We saw him together back then. I remember now," expressing delight.
For Nam Gyu-ri, Kim Min-su was also a friend who shared a special hobby. She recalled, "Min-su rode motorcycles and I secretly rode a motorcycle behind the company's back. We also went to arcades and did those things." When Lee Jin-sung said, "I introduced Min-su, but I didn't know you two met often," Nam Gyu-ri laughed and said, "When schedules were free, we rode motorcycles and went to karaoke. We rode them secretly from the other members. Because we'd get scolded."
But as Nam Gyu-ri dug through memories, her expression grew serious. She confessed that when Kim Min-su passed away she "wrote a post saying to go well to heaven" and said, "Sometimes when I'm driving I pass by where Min-su's wake was held. Then old memories come back." When Lee Jin-sung said, "He was a precious person," Nam Gyu-ri said adapting to life in the entertainment world was not easy and added, "A friend who shared the same hobby was truly precious." She recalled not only the common interest in motorcycles but also talking about singing as fellow singers and singing together at karaoke.
An unexpected exposé also unfolded. Recalling Lee Jin-sung in the early days of Monday Kiz's debut, Nam Gyu-ri said, "Min-su was humble, but you were 'I'm Lee Jin-sung,'" bringing laughter. Nam Gyu-ri said Lee Jin-sung once advised her, "That's not how you sing," and playfully revealed, "We were the same classmates but you got a big head and developed star syndrome." On the other hand, Kim Min-su reportedly accepted that Lee Jin-sung that way, saying, "That can happen."
In response, Lee Jin-sung honestly admitted he had feelings of inferiority toward Kim Min-su at the time. He said composers sometimes gave more parts to Kim Min-su during recordings, and for someone like him who had strong pride about singing, that was a stimulus. Lee Jin-sung recalled, "My goal was to beat Min-su in my own way. I practiced a lot with the thought of beating Min-su rather than topping the charts." He continued, "I was jealous of how well Min-su sang and once said something like that while drunk," and confessed, "I really practiced a lot. I miss those days."
Above all, the story after Kim Min-su's passing brought a heavy feeling. Lee Jin-sung said, "I even dreamed of saving Min-su with stem cells in a dream," and in the dream he told Kim Min-su, "You come back to life. You have to be with me." Because he was a rival he wanted to beat and a colleague who had made music closest to him, the sense of loss was great. Lee Jin-sung confessed, "When Min-su left I couldn't pull myself together," saying he fell asleep drunk on the street and friends had to take him home during that difficult time. Ultimately, music was what got him through that time. Lee Jin-sung said, "I endured those times with music."
Once a rival he was determined to surpass, but after his passing he was a friend he wanted to meet and compete with again even in dreams. The memories of the late Kim Min-su that surfaced again through a conversation with college classmate Nam Gyu-ri, whom he met for the first time in 20 years, left a deep aftertaste.
[Photo] 'YouTube'
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