I'm Standing by Kim Youngwoon

Kangin’s smile is one essential part of his identity. It is one thing that people notice. It is one thing to which the first impressions of the people towards Kangin are based.  It is his smile that gives others a bird’s eye view of how Kangin is as a person – mischievous but sweet.

True enough. Mischievous, that he had done those things. But sweet, as what his fellow Super Junior members and ELFs had known him to be for the past years since debut.

His smile is meaningful. It makes us think. It makes us wonder. And as I consider the impression it gives me, I realized that I have convinced myself already with what I thought.

Kangin’s smile tells me that behind the strong and powerful impression he gives off to the public, he is a child who wants comfort. He is a child who is afraid of wandering alone in the lonely streets of life. He is a child who is innocent about life’s rules.

His smile tells me that indeed, he is Kim Youngwoon.

Everyone, Kangin made mistakes. He admitted it already. He is already on hiatus now as a consequence for what he did and ELFs are, though pain-stricken, trying hard to accept that fact.

But the problem doesn’t lie on him alone. Those people bashing him also are guilty. They created an idea of perfection and required that it should be manifested on all artists. (And Kangin, as a member of the very famous Super Junior won’t be an exemption, of course.) This makes them forget that these artists are also human… and vulnerable.

Kangin is just one of the million artists to which the non-contented eyes of people are focused to – people whose eyes are widely open to mistakes and are half-shut when it comes to good things done; people calling themselves netizens.

Here is the catch: Perfection is different from purity. Think about it.

Kangin isn’t perfect but he’s pure. When that fateful incident on the bar happened, he tried hard to fit in with the people’s idea of perfection. But as his heart is pure, he got fed up with all the hits and decided to fight for himself. He wasn’t able to be perfect because he wanted to protect himself.

And as for the second incident, it happened because of depression. DUI is wrong, yes. But think, destroying a person’s life and credibility is worse.

Hmmm…

This post may seem to be so biased as everything in this blog is. But as I consider the two sides of the story, I know…

I’m standing by Kangin. I’m standing by Kim Youngwoon…

After all, I am an ELF, and will forever be.