On the February 12 episode of tvN's variety show 'You Quiz on the Block,' Key appeared alongside his mother, Kim Sun-hee. Recently retired after 37 years as a nurse, Kim shared her heartfelt story of raising her only son, Key.
Kim candidly revealed her feelings while watching her son debut with SHINee. She admitted that her voice of support was often the quietest, which pained her, and she worried about Key getting hurt. In response, Key shared, "The group was doing well, but I felt like I had no presence and lacked a sense of ownership. It was really tough in my early twenties."
However, Key confessed that after working hard in his own space, good things began to happen. He mentioned that he trained as a trainee for three years starting in 2005 and has been in the entertainment industry for nearly 20 years since debuting in 2008. He then brought up another family member he shared that time with, the late Jonghyun, who passed away at the age of 27 on December 18, 2017.
Recalling the time after Jonghyun's passing, Key said, "I was really shaken. I thought, 'What is life? Should I just quit everything?'" He continued, "I was quite broken, but we decided to hold a concert at Tokyo Dome to come together and support each other." He explained the reason for going ahead with the concert in Japan during that difficult time.
Key expressed, "I felt it would be too hard if we didn't have a place to honor him together. We wanted to send him off in a way that celebrated his vibrant, albeit short, youth." At that concert, the four remaining members of SHINee left a space on stage for Jonghyun, performing while suppressing their sorrow, which deeply moved fans.
Key shared, "Every year when his birthday or the anniversary of his passing comes around, I really miss him. When new songs come out that we can't record together, I think, 'He would have done so well.'" He also mentioned, "While practicing, Jonghyun appears in my dreams a lot. During concert meetings, it feels like he's just sitting next to us. We're always together... because we are always five."
[Photo=tvN Broadcast Capture]
[SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae]
(SBS Star)