Kim Dong-ryul Remembers Late Seo Dong-wook on the 1st Anniversary... "I Sent My Friend Off with a Song Sung by the Audience"

"Although it wasn't perfect, I think it finally allowed me to send Dong-wook off."

Singer Kim Dong-ryul delivered a heartfelt tribute message on the 1st anniversary of his eternal musical partner, late Seo Dong-wook, with whom he worked in 'Exhibition'. The behind-the-scenes story of the concert, where 70,000 audience members cried together, was also revealed.

On the 18th (local time), Kim Dong-ryul shared a story about the fateful song 'First Love' that connected the two, in memory of his friend Seo Dong-wook, who passed away a year ago.

◆ 'Exhibition' Started with a Demo Tape and a Reflection

Kim Dong-ryul recalled, "Dong-wook, who heard 'First Love' from a demo tape I made in high school through a friend of a friend, sent me a long reflection." He said, "That became the reason we became friends and naturally formed a team." This song was the starting point for the duo 'Exhibition', which left a legend in the Korean music scene with 'Etude of Memory'.

◆ 70,000 Audience Members Singing Together, a Tearful Farewell Ceremony

Recently, Kim Dong-ryul's solo concert 'Stroll' held at the KSPO Dome in Olympic Park, Seoul, was a grand tribute for Seo Dong-wook. Kim Dong-ryul displayed the phrase 'Sending off my beloved friend Dong-wook' on the stage screen and sang 'First Love' and 'Etude of Memory'. He confessed, "In this performance, 'First Love' was the biggest challenge for me." It was difficult to control his emotions. Ultimately, on the last performance day, he could not finish the song.

Kim Dong-ryul stated, "I worked hard, but I couldn't finish singing as I intended during the ending performance. Instead, the audience quietly filled in the parts I couldn't finish." He suggested that the imperfect stage filled with the voices of fans paradoxically became a 'farewell ceremony' to fully send off his friend.

◆ 'Etude of Memory' Will Be Remembered Forever

Seo Dong-wook, along with Kim Dong-ryul, participated in the MBC College Song Festival in 1993 while attending Yonsei University, winning the grand prize with 'In a Dream'. They made a brilliant debut and left behind many masterpieces such as 'Etude of Memory', 'Drunken Confession', and 'Stranger' until their disbandment in 1997, but sadly passed away on December 18th last year.

Kim Dong-ryul announced that he plans to hold a mass and have a meal with acquaintances who loved the deceased to remember him on the 1st anniversary. The reflections written by high school boys 30 years ago have now become a song sung by tens of thousands of fans, reaching their friend in the sky.