Lee Su-hyun says she almost quit AKMU during emotional slump

AKMU’s Lee Su-hyun recalls the slump she went through and expresses gratitude to her brother, Lee Chan-hyuk. Captured from "You Quiz on the Block" YouTube channel

Lee Su-hyun of sibling duo AKMU opened up about going through a slump and expressed gratitude to her brother and band member, Lee Chan-hyuk, for helping her through it.

The duo appeared on “You Quiz on the Block” on Wednesday. When host Yoo Jae-suk asked how the siblings were doing living under the same roof, Lee Chan-hyuk said he had been the one to suggest they live together.

“Su-hyun was having a hard time living alone because she wasn’t used to it,” he said.

Lee Su-hyun said her slump initially came from work, but as she endured the emotional strain, she began to have deeper doubts about life itself.

“That question first hit me after my brother left for his mandatory military service. What kind of person would I be without him? His absence made me realize just how big his presence had been. I ended up feeling disappointed in myself, and hurt.”

She said she waited for Chan-hyuk to return from military service, but when he did, he charged ahead like a racehorse, focused only on what was in front of him. At some point, working with him began to feel dull.

“I told him that if this was how we were going to make music forever, I’d quit. Back then, I didn’t think a better future was waiting for me.”

Su-hyun then opened up about the slump she fell into, recalling how she stayed alone in a room with the curtains drawn, eating constantly and losing faith in herself. She described it as the lowest point of her life in terms of confidence and self-worth.

“I was afraid to meet people. I trembled when people looked at me. I was in a state where I couldn’t even tell what I was feeling, and that was dangerous,” she said.

That was when her brother reached out.

“You say you’re fine, but when I hear you say that, it sounds like you’re nowhere near fine,” Su-hyun recalled him telling her.

She said that was when she realized she had to take his hand to find her way back to her old life. Since then, the two have been living together.

For Chan-hyuk, the decision was driven by a single thought: If he failed to look after her now, he might spend years regretting not making a bigger effort.

“I thought I had to do whatever I could. Otherwise, 10 or 20 years down the line, I’d probably regret not doing my best,” Chan-hyuk said.

He added that he wanted Su-hyun to see and experience the world as he knew it.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.