"Never Give Up"... Epik High's Tukutz Lifts Up a Frustrated Young Man

Producer Tukutz, who became the new leader of Epik High through fan votes 23 years after debut, beating the original leader Tablo.
Recently, a heartwarming story that has drawn as much attention as his ascent to leadership has belatedly come to light, catching people's eyes.

The story, which became known through a social media video, goes like this.

Back in 2018, there was a young man nurturing a dream of becoming a singer after being discharged from the military.

At a moment when he was about to completely give up on his dream after hitting the walls of reality for nearly two years, he sent a message to Tukutz with the feeling that it would be his last, for no particular reason.

The message read, "I am quitting music because I lack talent and am not good enough. Please listen to my music just one time as a final request."

He did not expect much, but a reply came right away.

[Choi Jin-woo / Producer, 33: I was so surprised. He said, 'Jin-woo, I listened to your song and it was really good. Never give up. Jin-woo's music is so good. I will keep cheering for you.']

Tukutz did not stop there.

He went and posted this young man's song directly on his social media.

As it happened, that day was Tukutz's birthday, and he even left a note saying, "I like the song. I will take this song as my birthday gift."

[Choi Jin-woo / Producer, 33: I wondered why someone like him, who didn't know anything about me, would do something like this for me. I think it was the greatest comfort I have ever received in my life.]

Given that Tukutz has been known for a blunt image, this newly revealed heartwarming story even elicited reactions among fans saying they "cannot believe it."


"I received immense comfort through a message, and while it might not be a heartwarming deed that saves a person's life, it became a huge motivation for living and such a great memory, and I am so grateful." The video containing Tukutz's heartwarming story approached 800,000 views and drew nearly 200 comments, becoming a hot topic.

Choi Jin-woo, who uploaded the video, says he still gains the courage to live from Tukutz's single word.

[Choi Jin-woo / Producer, 33: While a word like that from you might not go so far as to 'save a person's life,' it gave me a lot of motivation to live my life, remains a very good memory, and (I want to say) I am so grateful.]

Reactions such as "As expected, a leader is different," "He just grumbles on the outside but is warm on the inside," and comments like "It's surprising that something like this actually happened" are continuing to add warmth.

(Reported by Kang Kyung-youn, Video edited by Jung Yong-hee, Designed by Yang Hye-min, Video provided by Choi Jin-woo himself, Produced by SBS Digital News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.