KOCOWA Miss You, Jonghyun

Kim Jong-hyun was born on April 8, 1990. He would grow up to be one of South Korea’s most famous and beloved singers. And when he died by suicide two years ago on December 18, 2017, his face would be on the news worldwide. No one knew the extent of his pain, but the SHINee singer was a shining star who worked hard to do his best every day for as long as he could.

Known professionally simply as Jonghyun, the artistic and soulful K-pop star was just 27 years old when he perished. As Shawols (the fandom’s name) paid their respects to the beloved musician’s family, friends and bandmates, they comforted each other as well, sharing photos, music, anecdotes and tears.

This year, Jonghyun’s management company (SM Entertainment) paid homage to the late singer with an ethereal black and white image and the words, “We love you,” written in Hangul.

“당신을 사랑합니다.” pic.twitter.com/R5enRIjU4E

— SMTOWN (@SMTOWNGLOBAL) December 17, 2019

His friend Sojin, who worked on music with Jonghyun, shared a photo with the simple words, “Are you doing well?”

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A post shared by Jin Soh (소진) (@bambijin90) on Dec 18, 2019 at 4:25am PST

Jonghyun entrusted his good friend Nain9 to share his final words with the public. Nain9 consulted with Jonghyun’s family before sharing the note. (His mother’s hope was that Jonghyun’s story would encourage other people who were suffering from depression to seek help.)

“I am broken from the inside,” he wrote. “The depression that gnawed on me slowly has finally engulfed me entirely and I can’t defeat it anymore. Please tell me I did a good job and that I’ve worked hard. Goodbye.”

Besides his work with SHINee, Jonghyun’s legacy includes  “Poet | Artist,” which was released posthumously in January 2018. His family used the proceeds from that album to found the Shinin Foundation, which aims to help young artists who may be struggling with their own mental health issues. In an interview with Esquire Korea, his mother, Lee Eun-kyung, said that the love fans have for his music helped ease the pain of losing her child. The foundation takes it name from “Shinin’,” a single featured on “Poet | Artist,” and also his group’s name.

Jonghyun, you did so very well. May you rest in peace.

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“아픈 제 눈에는 지금도 아픈 젊은이들이 너무 많이 보여요.” 재단법인 '#빛이나'의 이은경 이사장은 어렵게 말문을 열었습니다. 이은경 이사장은 2017년 12월 18일 세상을 떠난 고 #김종현 군의 어머님이십니다. 빛이나는 김종현군의 유가족이 힘을 모아 만든 작은 재단입니다. 9월 6일 서울시 청담동에서 재단법인 빛이나의 조촐한 창립식이 열렸습니다. '#샤이니'란 이름처럼 빛을 향해 나아갈 줄 알았던 아들을 잃은 어머니가 아들과 같은 길을 걷는 젊은 문화예술인들의 그림자를 어루만져주고 싶어서 만든 단체입니다. 소속사가 없어서 힘들어하는 청년 예술인들을 도울 계획입니다. 예술계 고등학교들과 함께 장학사업도 진행하려고 합니다. 무엇보다 대중 활동을 하면서 크고 작은 상처를 입을 수 밖에 없는 젊은 예술인들의 영혼을 달래줄 수 있는 심리상담치유센터를 설립하는게 주요 목적입니다. 매년 12월이면 샤이니 김종현을 기리는 빛이나 예술제를 개최할 예정입니다. 이은경 이사장은 말했습니다. “아직도 어딘가에 가면 아들의 목소리가 담긴 음악이 흘러나오는 아픈 경험을 하고 있습니다. 그렇지만 아들이 떠났어도 종현이의 음악을 좋아해주는 분들이 계시니 늘 감사하게 생각합니다.” 김종현은 세상을 떠났지만 종현의 음악은 세상에 남아있습니다. 빛이나는 김종현이 남긴 음악의 저작권료를 바탕으로 운영됩니다. 우리는 여전히 밝게 빛났던 샤이니 김종현을 기억합니다. _ #종현 #쫑디 #혜야 #하루의끝 #우린봄이오기전에 #숨소리 #한숨 #좋아 #데자뷰 #shinee #jonghyun #inspiration #moon #lonely @shinee #esquire #esquirekorea

A post shared by 에스콰이어 코리아 (@esquire.korea) on Sep 6, 2018 at 3:23am PDT